Thunder strike down the 76ers

OKLAHOMA CITY - It seemed ironic that the 76ers' 117-106 loss last night came against the Oklahoma City Thunder, a team with a talented young core working its way from nothing to something.

A few hours after the Sixers' organization announced the return of former star point guard Allen Iverson - a move executed to patch together a wounded lineup - the current roster lost its eighth straight game and its ninth in 10. As recently as last season, the Sixers appeared to be traveling the same upward path as Oklahoma City.

Last night's loss dropped the Sixers to 5-14; Oklahoma City, led by 21-year-old Kevin Durant and 23-year-old Jeff Green, improved to 10-8.

"It obviously feels like a snowball effect; it keeps rolling and getting bigger and bigger," said Sixers forward Jason Kapono, who finished with nine points. "We're always close, we're hanging in the game, and then there's a breaking point and we always tend to go backwards instead of pushing through."

Durant, the sinewy forward around whom the Thunder are built, scored a game-high 33 points. Green finished with 19.

The Sixers got 28 points from Andre Iguodala and 20 from Thaddeus Young.

Oklahoma City's lead was 88-82 at the start of the fourth quarter, and the game did not get much closer.

The Sixers shot 50 percent from the field, 60.9 percent from the three-point line (14 for 23), and 94.7 percent from the free-throw line.

And still, they managed to lose.

They lost because they allowed the Thunder nearly identical shooting numbers and were outrebounded, 43-29.

This season, the Sixers' defense has not been defending, and its rotations have lacked rotation. More than once last night, the Thunder moved the ball from player to player like a passing drill, one such possession ending with an uncontested corner three-pointer - a make, of course - by Durant.

"It just seems like we have to play a near-perfect game to snap out of this thing," Sixers coach Eddie Jordan said. "We did a lot of good things offensively, but defensively and certainly rebounding was the key."

Rookie point guard Jrue Holiday, who in a few days will likely be pushed out of the starting lineup in favor of Iverson, scored 15 points. He had two assists and two turnovers.

Cheeks reunion. Maurice Cheeks, fired as the Sixers' head coach last December, is an assistant coach for the Thunder, working under head coach Scott Brooks, also a former Sixer.

Brand-less starting unit. Jordan went again with a starting lineup of rookie Holiday, Willie Green, Iguodala, Young, and Samuel Dalembert.

Power forward Elton Brand, who missed three games because of a sore right hamstring, came off the bench for the second straight game. He played just over 28 minutes.

Last night's game ended too late for this edition. For coverage, go to http://go.philly.com/sixersEndText