Kelly Oubre Jr. snatches the Philadelphia 76ers a 125-103 win over Portland Trail Blazers

Kelly Oubre Jr. records a career-high eight steals in Philadelphia's fourth consecutive win

The Philadelphia 76ers looked to end 2024 by redefining their defensive identity after giving up 111 points in their win over the Utah Jazz. It didn’t take long for Philadelphia to regain its edge.

Kelly Oubre Jr. set the tone by recording his fourth steal less than four minutes into the first quarter. His energy was contagious as the 76ers forced the Portland Trail Blazers into 24 turnovers, which they converted into 36 points.

The 76ers (13-17) blew out the Trail Blazers (11-21) 125-103 at Moda Center on Tuesday night. Philadelphia won its fourth consecutive game and has prospered in 10 of its last 13 contests.

Here’s what I saw:

1st Quarter

Early on, Philadelphia’s wing versatility was on display as Oubre, Paul George and Caleb Martin were extremely active — forcing turnovers off help rotations and navigating screens at a high-level. Oubre finished with a career-high eight steals.

Off Portland’s five turnovers in the period, Tyrese Maxey found success in semi-transition — gunning quick threes utilizing ball-screens from Joel Embiid. Maxey finished the period with 11 points on 3-5 shooting from the field.

Portland’s inferior front-court size would soon be on display as 22 of Portland’s 31 points in the period came from the restricted arena.

DeAndre Ayton was able to have his way with Embiid down low — scoring eight points in the period while Deni Avdija knifed through the paint off the pick-and-roll with Guerschon Yabusele at center. The 76ers led 33-31 after the opening frame.

2nd Quarter

Philadelphia spawned in a 15-5 run to begin the period. Nick Nurse adjusted to Portland’s paint domination by playing Embiid and Yabusele together while mixing in some zone coverage, which put the Trail Blazers’ offense into purgatory.

The 76ers’ front-court duo was equally as impactful offensively. Embiid effortlessly scored over Ayton in the post — showcasing elite foot-work. Yabusele attacked mismatches down low and threw down a thunderous poster over Avdija.

(video credit: NBA/76ers/NBC Sports Philadelphia)

Philadelphia took its biggest lead of the first half at 58-41 with Embiid (20 points) and Yabusele (15 points) combining for 54.7% of its points at intermission.

Portland cut the 76ers’ lead to 64-54 through two quarters in the midst of an 8-2 run. Nonetheless, Philadelphia scored 15 points off turnovers in the first half — showcasing urgency on both ends of the floor.

3rd Quarter

The 76ers kicked off the second half on a 6-0 run where Oubre recorded his seventh steal of the game. The swingman made his mark offensively as well — getting to the rim off various back-door cuts. He scored 10 of his 15 points in the period.

Philadelphia’s offense stalled when Portland combatted Embiid’s post success with zone coverage. The 76ers shot 0-6 from beyond the arc in the period, which made this strategy effective.

George struggled to get involved offensively, especially in the third quarter where he settled for contested pull-up mid-range jumpers and had little actions ran for him. He finished with nine points on 4-9 shooting, six rebounds, and four assists.

Nevertheless, Philadelphia led 91-72 after the third quarter.

4th Quarter

After a flurry of threes from Anfernee Simons, the 76ers locked all windows and doors amid a 13-4 run that gave them a 105-82 lead. Embiid continued to dominate Portland’s defense — out-muscling Ayton and finishing with ease.

Embiid finished with a season-high 37 points on 12-21 shooting and nine rebounds. Such dominance allowed Philadelphia to pull its starters with approximately three minutes left in the game.

(video credit: NBA/76ers/NBC Sports Philadelphia)

Pete Nance made his debut in garbage time and drilled a corner three, which marked his first bucket as a 76er.

The 76ers return against the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday, January 1st at 10:00 p.m. EST on NBC Sports Philadelphia.

(photo credit: copyright 2024 NBAE - photo by Cameron Browne/NBAE via Getty Images)