Oklahoma City Thunder at Philadelphia 76ers

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scores 32 as the Thunder beat the short-handed 76ers 118-102

Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George sat out with injuries as the Sixers continued their slide down the Eastern Conference standings.

The Thunder built a 21-point lead and have won 18 of 19 games headed into Thursday's rematch against Cleveland in a matchup of teams with the best records in each conference.

With the stars out, Justin Edwards led the 76ers with 25 points, and Jeff Dowtin Jr. had 18.

Takeaways Thunder: Gilgeous-Alexander entered the game with a share of the NBA scoring lead at 31.4 points and topped his average with a a pair of late free throws in the fourth that gave him 32. Isaiah Hartenstein had nine points and 16 rebounds.

76ers: Philadelphia is just not a good team when Embiid, George and Maxey don't play. The Sixers have lost three straight games, six of eight and at 15-23 are closer to a spot in the draft lottery than postseason play. Embiid missed his 25th game of the season. Embiid has played in just 13 games this season. The Sixers are 7-6 with Embiid and 8-17 without him.

Key moment The Sixers closed within 91-87 in the fourth before Jalen Williams hit a 3 during a late 8-0 run that helped put the game away.

Key stat The Thunder shot 70% (14 of 20) from the floor in the first quarter and never trailed in the game.

Up next The Thunder host Cleveland on Thursday. The Cavaliers beat the Thunder 129-122 last week to end OKC’s 15-game winning streak in a matchup of NBA’s top teams. The 76ers host the Knicks on Wednesday.

Regular Season Series

OKC leads series 1-0