OKLAHOMA CITY -- There are times the stat sheet does not tell the whole story. However, the Sixers matchup against the Thunder on Friday night was not one of them.
Oklahoma City scored 24 points off 20 Sixers turnovers. The Thunder had 14 more points in the paint, won the second-chance points battle by a margin of 13-4 and made 15 more free throws.
Those numbers didnt lie and it all equaled a 109-85 loss for the Sixers. The defeat was their 19th of the season (see Instant Replay).
I thought we played a very competitive first half. It was a four-point game, Sixers head coach Doug Collins said. I thought we left some points on the table, but the turnovers. I said you cant be careless against this team and they had 24 points off our turnovers.
The Sixers entered the game averaging the third-fewest turnovers in the NBA per game (12.5). But two nights ago in Phoenix, the Sixers committed 17 turnovers and Friday night they gave the ball away 20 times.
The increase in turnovers is in part because of carelessness and being too unselfish.
You cant play with one hand off the dribble because then if a guy gets in the passing lane you cant get that pass back, so you have to play with two hands, Collins said. And you cant force passes against long, rangy teams.
Sometimes we may overthink a little bit, Evan Turner said. Sometimes when you pass the ball too much you suffer a blunder.
Russell Westbrook led all scorers with 27 points and was 4 for 4 from behind the arc. Kevin Durant added another 26. Serge Ibaka, who leads the NBA with 3.0 blocks per game, had zero swats. However, Ibaka made up for that by scoring 15 points and pulling down 10 rebounds.
We fell asleep on three-point shooters. We gave them about six threes where guys didnt stay locked in, Collins said. And then you add in that Westbrook and Durant are such dynamic players and Ibaka is a tremendous player.
The Sixers were led in scoring by Nick Young, who totaled 21 points. He was 5 for 7 from three and 6 of 8 at the foul line. Young was the lone Sixer to get to the charity stripe.
That is how the game goes sometimes, Young said of his trips to the line. We get fouled, but then other times we just settle for jump shots. It was just one of those games,
In certain situations I think we rely on pull-ups, trying to get cleaner shots as opposed to going in and trying to get the call, said Turner, who scored just five points to go with six rebounds and five assists. This is not the first day where we are saying we dont get foul calls. Thats what happens.
I dont know about anyone else, but I am not going to waste my time trying to fall in love and rely on another person in regards to giving me a call. Sometimes you have to take whats there. The no-call messes up the transition going the other way and adds to frustration.
So did Collins discuss with his team that only one player took a free throw on Friday night?
What am I going to say? I have been saying it for three years, he said. We have to be stronger, take the ball to the basket and make them foul us. And I am not saying that has anything to do with the whistle. I dont want that to be miscalculated at all.
The Sixers are 29th in free throws attempted per game (17.9) and free throws made (13.0). Their 19.2 last season were second fewest as well. They finished last season dead last in both categories.
Meanwhile, the Thunder connected on 21 of 27 free throw attempts.
Oklahoma City took control of the game in the third quarter when it shot 71 percent from the floor and connected on all four of its shots from behind the arc. A four-point lead expanded to 12 heading into the fourth quarter.
They made shots and countered off our turnovers and they got to running, Turner said of the pivotal third quarter. In the first half we slowed the game down and didnt allow them to run.
They are a team that will hit you with a surge and that is what they did, Collins said.
E-mail Dei Lynam at dlynam@comcastsportsnet.com.