Philadelphia @ Oklahoma City preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 28, 2019 ) Philadelphia 108, Oklahoma City 104

The Oklahoma City Thunder aren't having much success against the top teams from the Eastern Conference of late and will face another East contender when the Philadelphia 76ers visit on Friday. The Thunder fell to the Milwaukee Bucks 121-119 on Sunday before getting crushed at Indiana 111-85 on Tuesday.

Oklahoma City matched a season-low point total at Indiana and shot 35.8 percent from the floor, including 6-of-25 from 3-point range, while committing 16 turnovers. "It always goes back to, 'how do you get an easier shot?' That's with movement and pace, the speed of the game," Thunder center Steven Adams told reporters. "Offense, it needs to ramp up." The 76ers are coming off their own rough performance after suffering a 112-97 setback at Orlando on Wednesday - their fourth loss in the last six games. All-Star center Joel Embiid sat out on the second night of a back-to-back against the Magic and Philadelphia missed his scoring punch down the stretch while getting outscored 32-15 in the fourth quarter.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBCS Philadelphia, FS Oklahoma

ABOUT THE 76ERS (7-4): Philadelphia small forward Tobias Harris is 8-of-30 from the floor over the last two games and is in an even bigger slump from beyond the arc, where he is 0-of-18 over the last five contests. "I'm not only missing shots, I'm not in a rhythm," Harris told the Philadelphia Inquirer. "It's easier said than done, but I'm going to find my rhythm, and once I do, those shots are going to be there, and they are going to (go down)." Harris' frontcourt partner, power forward Al Horford, is in his own slump at 5-of-20 from 3-point range over the last four contests.

ABOUT THE THUNDER (4-7): Oklahoma City has fallen into a pattern of slow starts to the second half and was outscored 37-24 by the Bucks in the third quarter and 34-20 by the Pacers. "It looks like the same story for us in the third quarter," veteran point guard Chris Paul told reporters. "It starts with me. We've got to figure out that third quarter and if we do that, the tide will change." Paul was held to seven points on 2-of-7 shooting in Tuesday's loss and is shooting 45 percent from the floor on the season.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Thunder SG Terrance Ferguson (personal) sat out Tuesday and is questionable.

2. 76ers PG Ben Simmons is 16-of-21 from the floor in two games since returning from a shoulder injury.

3. The teams split two meetings last season, with Philadelphia earning a 117-115 win at Oklahoma City.

PREDICTION: 76ers 106, Thunder 92