Two slumping teams in the Philadelphia 76ers and Oklahoma City Thunder squared off on Tuesday night in Philadelphia. The 76ers coming into the game losing four straight and the Thunder coming into the game losing a league worst 13 straight. However, it was the Sixers who dominantly won by a score of 121 to 90.

The 76ers got the likes of star guard, Ben Simmons back in the starting lineup alongside Seth Curry, Furkan Korkmaz, Tobias Harris, and Joel Embiid. The Thunder started with Theo Maledon, Kenrich Williams, Aleksej Pokusevski, Darius Bazley, and Moses Brown, in what has to be one of the most unrecognizable starting lineups in the history of the NBA.

The pace of the offense and the defensive intensity immediately felt different with Ben Simmons back in the starting lineup. His importance to the team truly can’t be measured.

The 76ers and Thunder battled back and forth in the first quarter, but the Sixers began to gain some separation, closing out the first quarter on a 10-2 run, extending their lead to 8, with a score of 34-26. Dwight Howard came in and scored 5 quick points in just two minutes of play. Joel Embiid and Tobias Harris led the way for the Sixers, scoring-wise, both putting up 7 first quarter points. Moses Brown led OKC scoring with 6 points.

Anthony Tolliver scored his first points as a Sixer via a beautiful play on both ends of the court. The transaction began with a block by Matisse Thybulle on Jaylen Hoard’s two-point attempt, Hoard got the ball back, put it back up and Tolliver got the block from behind. The Sixers ran down the floor and Tolliver drained a three-pointer for his first points as a Sixer.

The Sixers continued to keep their foot on the gas in the second quarter. The second unit came with intensity on both sides of the floor, as Matisse Thybulle continues to display his defensive excellence and further his all-defensive campaign.

The starters returned to the floor late in the second quarter and really began to extend the lead. The Sixers closed out the half with a 15 point lead, leading 60-45. The half ended with an inbound steal by Mattise Thybulle, followed by a quick pass to Ben Simmons for a slam with one second left in the half.

The Sixers first half success truly rooted from the impressive defensive display put on by the team, collecting 9 steals and 3 blocks. In addition, Embiid to no surprise, led the Sixers in scoring with 15 points, along with 10 points from Shake Milton off the bench. The Thunder’s first half scoring leader was Ty Jerome with 12 points, and all of OKC’s bench scoring.

The 76ers absolutely dominated the third quarter, closing out with a score of 93-66. The Sixers defense combined with sloppy OKC play allowed the Sixers to force 10 more turnovers in the quarter alone.

The youth of the 76ers continued the dominant performance as we got to watch the likes of Tyrese Maxey, Isiah Joe, Paul Reed, Rayjon Tucker, and Mason Jones close out the game. A single starter did not touch the floor in the fourth which is absolutely what you would like to see in a game of this matter.

To simply put it, the Sixers did exactly what they should do against a team such as the Oklahoma City Thunder. The team hit on all cylinders, shooting 54.7% from the field, 45.2% from three, and forcing 30 turnovers, 22 of them being steals, the second most in a game in franchise history. In addition to this all 15 eligible Sixers scored tonight.

With this win the Sixers advance to 40-21, the fastest the Sixers have reached 40 wins since 2001. In addition, this win puts them back within one game of the number one seed. OKC loses their 14th straight, tying their franchise record for consecutive losses, and falling to 20-41. Once again, Embiid leads the team in scoring with 21 points in just 23 minutes. Ty Jerome lead OKC scoring with 22 points and four threes.

The Sixers will take on the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday at home at 7:00 EST as they continue their final stretch before the postseason.