Oklahoma City, Oct. 25 (U.S.): Seth Curry’s beginnings resemble some of his older brother’s most exciting lines.
The guard scored 23 of his 28 first-quarter points in the Philadelphia 76ers’ 115-103 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder Sunday night.
Curry made 6 of 7 three-pointers in the opening period to help the 76ers advance 36-26. After the quarter ended, one of his colleagues waved a towel over him, possibly worried he might burn, the Associated Press reports.
Curry’s older brother, Steve Curry of the Golden State Warriors, is famous for such stripes. Seth said this run was a little different than the crazy Steve keeps going.
“I was getting good shots,” said Seth Curry. “It wasn’t like I was dribbling 18, half a field, 40ft. It wasn’t like I was on a Steph streak. I was finding good shots.”
Joel Embiid added 22 points and nine rebounds for Philadelphia. The 76ers started with a 2-1 score as they work out issues with Ben Simmons, the team’s primary goalkeeper who has been left out for personal reasons.
Shay Gilgus Alexander scored 29 points, and rookie Josh Gedi scored 19 points, eight rebounds, six assists and four shots for Thunder.
Oklahoma City fell to 0-3, but the Thunder may have captured some fans with their choppy play along the length of the field.
“We only competed tonight, especially in the fourth,” Giljus Alexander said. “We did everything we could to get the match. Obviously that wasn’t enough, but we were going to put on our tough hats and try to start getting it for sure.”
Thunder hung hard after Curry’s quick start. A 3-deep step backwards for Gilgus Alexander lowered the 76ers’ lead to 59-51 in the first half. Philadelphia led 87-78 at the end of the third quarter.
The 76ers had a 11-0 lead early in the fourth quarter. Furkan Korkmaz, Matisse Thiebol, and Georges Niang each made three throws in an 88-second time slot to go up a 76-point lead 98-80.
Jedi hit 2 free throws, then had a steal and made 3 pointers to cut Philadelphia’s lead to 110-102 with just over a minute to play. Curry then hit a triple indicator for his first points since the first quarter to keep the 76ers in control.
“They were in a big race,” Curry said. “It was kind of loud in there for a second. …we needed to kind of stop the run. Once we broke the press, Tobias (Harris) found me in the corner and I took my time, put my foot down and shot it like any other shot. Just one. One of the ones I stepped into with confidence, and it was a big shot to end the match sort of.”
Hints
76ers: Embiid was a game-time decision due to a right knee injury. Even minutes before the alarm, his knee froze. … sat center Andre Drummond with a sprained right ankle. … Seth Curry made six three-pointers in the first quarter. He’s only made over six hits once in a single game throughout his career.
Thunder: Fans stood up to an Oklahoma City record. It took a while, but Derrick Favors scored the Thunder’s first regular season points in front of the fans since the 2019-20 season was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. …the match was attended by former Thunder players Thabo Sevolusha and Nick Collison. Collison is the only Thunder player to wear his jersey in the rafters.
half shot
21-year-old Conor O’Malley of Tulsa took a semi-court shot during a break in the event to win $20,000 from MidFirst Bank. Southwestern University student Christian’s bullet hit the backboard, bounced off the front from inside part of the rim and hit the backboard again before crashing.
quotable
76ers coach Doc Rivers on Embiid, who had three blocks: “He’s been really cool. Not just with his play, but verbally on the floor. And he’s in great shape too. The blocks he has…we have a 7-foot-1 guy making strides. Eurosteps. It’s incredible watching him play.”
the following
76ers: In New York on Tuesday night.
Thunder: Golden State host Tuesday night.