PHILADELPHIA - Counting the 2012 playoffs, Evan Turner has started the 76ers' last 25 games.
For Turner's sake, he hopes that streak doesn't end any time soon, even though his coach has hinted at altering the starting lineup.
"It's happened to me a few times, so it doesn't really bother me," said Turner, the Sixers' third-year wing, after Saturday morning's shootaround. "Whatever occurs, occurs. What else are you going to do, you know? Whatever's for the better of the team, (because) that's what it's all about."
Sixers coach Doug Collins has backed off his initial comment, saying Friday that he isn't leaning toward altering the starting five as much.
If someone was to get shuffled out of a starter's spot, it'd probably be Turner. It's not because Turner's been wildly ineffective, either. It'd probably be because of the Sixers' desire to improve their offense at the opening of games. Adding another shooter to the floor at his position might help the Sixers break a funk that, including Saturday's game against Oklahoma City, featured deficits heading into the second quarter in 10 of 13 games.
Also, the first quarter statistically is Turner's worst. He entered the game against the Thunder shooting 26 percent (11-for-42) in the first, as opposed to 57 percent (12-for-21) in the second, 43 percent (16-for-37) in the third, and 43 percent (13-for-30) in the fourth quarters.
Turner only recently has become a factor in the Sixers' starting lineup. He said in preseason that he viewed this season as an opportunity to make up for lost time, having come off the bench in 109 of 145 games his first two seasons after being drafted second overall in 2011.
The starting lineup is where Turner would like to stay, but he said it's out of his control.
"The most important thing is doing what I do: staying on boards, playing defense, taking shots when it's open. That's it. I'll be fine from there," he said.
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The Sixers originally had Kwame Brown penciled in as their starting center, but switched it up in the moments before tipoff.
Instead, Lavoy Allen got the nod at the pivot. The second-year man has started seven of the Sixers' 13 games.
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The point guard match-up in this game was an intriguing one, with the Sixers' Jrue Holiday matching wits with Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook.
Holiday came into the game ranked fourth in the NBA with 8.6 assists per game. Westbrook was right behind, with 8.4 assists. Collins said Holiday, more than likely, looked forward to this game because it was an opportunity to go against a fellow Bruin.
"I'm sure - Battle of UCLA," Collins said. "When I was coaching Christian Laettner in Washington, any time he'd go against a guy from Duke, he'd always have one of his better games because he said he was the King of Duke. He didn't want a guy from Duke to get the best of him."