Despite most — this beat writer included — assuming that the Sixers would have their doors blown off by the NBA's best team defense and individual scorer, the nine players donning red, white and blue played with absolutely no expectation that they were going to be on the wrong end of a blowout.

The Oklahoma City Thunder wrap up a four-game road trip when they travel to face off against the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday. It's the season's first matchup between the two squads. The Thunder (32-6) have had two blowout wins in a row.

The B-team Sixers — with Justin Edwards and Jeff Dowtin Jr. as the leading scorers — scrapped and turned the fans back on their side when they pulled to 91-87. The Thunder easily closed out the 76ers in the waning moments of the fourth.

The Sixers will be short-handed once again as they will be missing superstar big man Joel Embiid who will miss his fifth consecutive game due to the left foot sprain he suffered i

It's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder against the shorthanded Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday night at Wells Fargo Center.