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PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia 76ers told a national anthem singer and a middle finger-flipping fan to hit the road.Russell Westbrook then sent the Sixers packing with a loss and showed life without Kevin Durant might not be so bad for Oklahoma City.Westbrook stared down a double bird and spoiled Joel Embiids debut with 32 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Thunder to a 103-97 victory on Wednesday night.Westbrooks surge down the stretch capped a peculiar night in Philly.The 76ers had a tripleheader of image faux pas on opening night: The scheduled anthem singer says she was booted because she wanted to wear a We Matter jersey; a fan was kicked out for extending two middle fingers at Westbrook; and halftime singer Desiigner was booed off the court for a shirtless performance where he dropped his pants past his rear.Crazy, right? Westbrook said. I turned a new leaf though because that cost me $25,000 last time. I guess the fan, hell be all right. I guess they can say whatever they want to the players and do what they want.Westbrook was fined by the league for directing inappropriate language toward a fan in a playoff game last year. He took the high road toward the Sixers fan and stuck around to score the decisive points on opening night for the Thunder in their first game since Durant left in free agency and signed with the Golden State Warriors.Embiid nearly matched Westbrook down the stretch and showed a needed spark for the Sixers.Embiid scored 20 points in 22 minutes in his first game since the Sixers made him the No. 3 overall pick in the 2014 draft. Embiid had sat out the last two seasons with foot injuries. He received a roaring ovation when he was introduced and fans went wild on every shot.Fans chanted Trust The Process when Embiid was at the free-throw line. The catchphrase became a rallying cry under former team president Sam Hinkie.Having the fans chant that, it was special and I loved it, Embiid said.Westbrook and Embiid swapped jumpers that tied the game 97-all. Westbrook sank two free throws with 35 seconds left for a 99-97 lead in front of a raucous crowd. Enes Kanter silenced them for good and sent them toward the exits with a putback layup after the Sixers missed a shot on the other end.Yes, it was another loss for the Sixers, but one that came with a 7-foot-2 asterisk.Embiids performance largely stole the show from the opening-night shenanigans that otherwise tarnished the night.Sixers fans who had been waiting to cheer for Embiid for more than two years went wild every time he touched the ball. A group of fans held a sign that read, In Embiid We Trust.The Sixers just might prove they made the right decision to trust in Embiid.The sellout crowd of 20,487 fans erupted when the 7-foot-2 center from Kansas, Joooooel, Embiiiiid was introduced during game introductions. They stood and gasped when Embiid attempted his first shot of the game -- a missed 3-pointer.He had a nifty spin in the post and a bucket for a quick 10-2 lead.The Sixers, yes, the 10-72 Sixers, at last had a dose of good news.Embiid starred on a nationally televised performance and gave a teasing glimpse that he just may be the franchise cornerstone player that can help shift the franchise toward respectability.I love this city and I just want to appreciate the moment, he said.Westbrook, now The Man in OKC, refused to cede the spotlight entirely to Embiid. He scored 12 points in the first quarter and 22 through three to keep the Thunder within striking distance entering the fourth.TIP-INSThunder: Coach Billy Donovan said the Thunder will win without Durant, just do it in a different way. It will be a constant process throughout the season to get everyone to understand, he said.76ers: Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard rang the ceremonial opening bell. ... UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez was at the game.ANTHEM CONTROVERSYPhiladelphia 76ers national anthem singer Sevyn Streeter says she was told by the team she could not perform because of her We Matter jersey. Streeter wrote on Twitter, Was suppose to sing the anthem at (at)sixers & (at)okcthunder game but mins b4 (at)sixers said I couldnt because I was wearing a We Matter jersey.FAN TOSSEDThe Sixers ejected a portly fan in an Allen Iverson jersey who directed both middle fingers toward Westbrook from his courtside seat. The fan raised his arms in triumph and high-fived fans as he was escorted out of the arena.DESIIGNER FLAW:Rapper Desiigner was booed off the court for a halftime performance where he performed shirtless and left with his jeans down almost to his ankles and his boxers exposed.SIMMONS UPDATENo. 1 overall draft pick Ben Simmons says there is no timetable for his return to the Sixers from a broken bone in his right foot. He said he has not discussed the possibility of sitting out the season.Ill come back when Im ready, Simmons said.UP NEXTThunder: Host Phoenix on Friday in their home opener.76ers: Host Atlanta on Saturday. They open with three straight and five of their first six at home. Red Sox Jerseys 2020 . "It was nerve-wracking, but we pulled through," said Collaros, who threw four touchdown passes to lead the Toronto Argonauts (8-4) to a 33-27 win over the Calgary Stampeders (9-3) in front of 28,781 fans at McMahon Stadium. Pedro Martinez Jersey . 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LOUIS -- St. Nikita Miller, the Jamaica captain, has said he was more focused on securing victory for his side rather than gaining a record 10-wicket innings haul against Trinidad & Tobago in the recently concluded fourth round of the WICB Regional Four-Day Tournament.Millers figures of 9 for 41 in T&Ts second innings were the best in West Indies domestic history. He became only the sixth bowler to claim nine in an innings in recorded West Indies first-class statistics since 1966. My reaction was quite normal and wasnt overly excited to be honest, Miller told ESPNcricinfo. I didnt know at the time it was the best, since I knew Bishoo had taken nine wickets a couple of seasons ago, so I was just glad it was accomplished in a winning team effort.Miller took the first nine wickets of T&Ts innings, before the legspinner Damion Jacobs had Roshon Primus lbw to deny him the honour of being the first West Indian to take all ten in an innings. Miller says the feat wasnt on his mind, in the heat of the moment.Leaving the field some fans asked me why I didnt push to get all 10, but really as captain I was mainly focused on getting Trinidad all out, he said. There was many points at other end when the batsmen were scoring freely, so even while bowling and I didnt even celebrate the ninth wicket, I was thinking about bowling options, field placements for next bowler and over.During West Indies decline over the last 20 years or so, there has been a long-standing debate over the standard of domestic ccricket in the Caribbean.ddddddddddddThe pitches have tended not to help the fast bowlers, which has meant spinners such as Miller have always among the leading wicket-takers. Some believe the success of spinners reflects how poorly Caribbean batsmen have tended to play slow bowling.In the case of Miller, who has an outstanding first-class record - 428 wickets in 84 matches at an astounding average of 16.64 - and was a major player in Jamaica winning six first-class titles between 2007 and 2014, those aforementioned reasons have probably played a part in the last three West Indies chairmen of selectors - Clyde Butts, Clive Lloyd and Courtney Browne - ignoring him for Test cricket.If called up to do a job [by West Indies], will do to best of ability - but my mind is not really on it, Miller said. The one thing Id say about criticism of whether I could replicate my domestic performances at Test level, and can only speak for myself - I have played in A team cricket in 2013 versus India and Sri Lanka, playing against guys like [Virender] Sehwag, [Gautam] Gambhir, [Cheteshwar] Pujara, Yuvraj [Singh] and got five-wicket hauls and was the leading West Indies A wicket-taker.Yes, the standard (of West Indies domestic cricket) could improve to another level, but if it was I believe Id still do well, because if youre good, you perform despite the standard. ' ' '