James Harden and Byron Mullens led the Oklahoma City Thunder past the Philadelphia 76ers, 89-80, as the Orlando Pro Summer League continued on Wednesday afternoon. Harden shot just three-of-10 from the field and missed all four of his three-point tries, but once again made his hay from the foul line; he connected on 15 of his 18 freebies to finish with 21 points. Mullens scored eight of his 16 points in the fourth quarter to help OKC hold of Philly’s late rally. 76ers point guard Jrue Holiday scored 25 to lead all players, but turned the ball over six times and struggled to get his team into its offense. Philadelphia shot just 37.7% from the field and committed 19 turnovers.
Thunder Hold Off Sixers, 89-80, Behind Harden And Mullens As Philly’s Turner Struggles Again
Of greater concern for Philadelphia is Evan Turner. The second overall draft pick is still struggling to figure the NBA out on his third day of summer league. Three more turnovers for him today, and his lone field goal in six tries was a breakaway layup. His body language shows that he’s clearly frustrated and lacking confidence. In his defense, he made a pretty bounce pass to Marreese Speights’ pocket on a fast break, resulting in a spectacular jam that elicited a raucous scream from the third-year big man.
Thunder point guard Eric Maynor, who had another solid outing, left the game in the fourth quarter with a jammed right thumb. The injury does not appear to be serious or threatening in any way.
Latavious Williams, obtained from the Miami Heat on draft night, added 10 points, five rebounds, and three blocked shots in 15 bench minutes for Oklahoma City. Mustafa Shakur needed 10 shots to score 11 points, but dished six assists off the Thunder’s bench and demonstrated a keen awareness of how to run an offense.
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