Big break for the Sixers, who I didn’t think had much of a chance in Oklahoma City this evening without Joel Embiid and Boban Marjanovic.

But the Thunder are matching the Sixers as their best player also sits this one out:

George scored 25 points but only shot 7-24 in Tuesday’s loss to the Nuggets. He’s averaging 28.6 points per game, 8.1 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 2.3 steals and ripped off a four-point play to beat the Sixers back in January.

I still don’t like the matchup considering that Russell Westbrook and Steven Adams are out there, but George’s absence levels the playing field in a big way. The Sixers have enough talent to maybe squeeze this one out if Jonah Bolden can give them enough quality center minutes without getting into foul trouble.

OR – maybe Russ tries to take over the game by himself and shoots something like 12-37. That’s the best case scenario.