PHILADELPHIA -- Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook, as renowned for his sense of style as his explosive play, pulled on a yellow hoodie Wednesday after the season opener against the Philadelphia 76ers.

The garment bore the saying, "Paranormal. Out of the Ordinary."

Westbrook began his first full season without long-time sidekick Kevin Durant with the sort of performance that might become ordinary.

He scored nine of his 32 points in the last 4:09, including the go-ahead free throws with 35 seconds left, as the Thunder downed the Sixers 103-97.

"I was taking my time, picking my spots I wanted to get the ball at -- just being patient and closing out the game," Westbrook said.

That is a role he shared in the past with Durant, who signed as a free agent with the Golden State Warriors in the offseason. Now, Westbrook said, he just wants to "manage the game at a high level."

Westbrook, who also had 12 rebounds and nine assists, snapped a 97-97 tie by connecting twice at the line after a foul off the ball by Philadelphia's Gerald Henderson.

The Thunder, who trailed by six with 6:17 left and four with 4:16 to play, spoiled the NBA debut of Philadelphia center Joel Embiid, who finished with 20 points and seven rebounds. Embiid, the third overall pick in the 2014 draft, missed the past two seasons as a result of two foot surgeries.

"He's hard to guard," Oklahoma City coach Billy Donovan said. "He's herky-jerky. He's got a lot of (Hakeem) Olajuwon to him."

Embiid, who is on a minutes restriction, played just over 22 minutes.

"They care about me," he said of the Sixers, "but I want to do whatever I can to win."

Enes Kanter had 17 points and 12 rebounds, and Steven Adams contributed 16 points for Oklahoma City, which closed the game on a 16-6 run.

Nik Stauskas had 13 points for Philadelphia, and Sergio Rodriguez finished with 12 points and nine assists. Jerami Grant and Robert Covington each scored 10 points.

Another Sixers rookie, forward Dario Saric, finished with five points while missing 10 of 12 shots from the floor.

"I think we looked better than I thought we'd look," Philadelphia coach Brett Brown said. "We just haven't been with each other (because of injuries)."

The Sixers, who led 75-69 after three quarters, were still up 87-81 after a 3-pointer by Covington with just over six minutes left. The Thunder mounted a challenge, but Covington's two free throws with just over four minutes to go gave Philadelphia a 91-87 edge.

Westbrook then nailed a 3-pointer from the top of the circle, starting Oklahoma City's game-ending rally.

The Sixers opened an 18-7 lead at the start of the game, as Jahlil Okafor scored six of his eight points. Saric notched his first NBA basket in that stretch, on a jumper with 8:51 left in the first quarter, and Embiid did the same 34 seconds later.

Westbrook dropped in a layup and was fouled with 4:52 left in the period, and as the Thunder guard stood at the baseline and celebrated, a male fan in the front row directed two obscene gestures in Westbrook's direction. The fan was then ejected.

"That's crazy, right?" Westbrook said. "I turned a new leaf. I leave that alone, because that cost me $25,000 last time (when he cursed at a fan last season). The fan, he'll be all right. I guess they can say whatever they want to the players and do what they want. My job is to play basketball, and that's what I do."

The teams traded the lead seven times the rest of the half, which ended in a 51-51 tie. By that point, Westbrook had 16 points, seven rebounds and six assists, and Adams had 12 points.

Henderson paced the Sixers with nine points before halftime, but he didn't score in the second half.

The game was tied three more times in the third quarter, the last time at 64-all with 3:42 left, but Stauskas put Philadelphia ahead with a three-point play. Embiid and Grant added four points apiece in an 11-5 flurry at the end of the period, which ended with the Sixers on top 75-69.

NOTES: Sixers F Ben Simmons said before the game a screw was inserted in his fractured right foot during his recent surgery, and while there is no timetable for his return, neither has there been any discussion of him sitting out the entire season. "Somebody put that out there," he said, "but I'll come back when I'm ready." Reports have indicated that Simmons will be out until at least January. ... Philadelphia C Joel Embiid said before tip that contrary to an SI.com report, he never seriously considered quitting the NBA while sitting out two years, a span in which his younger brother died in an accident in his native Cameroon. "I love basketball too much to make that decision," he said. ... Thunder coach Billy Donovan said his team must figure out how to ease the burden on G Russell Westbrook. "He can't facilitate every single shot, every single basket, every single assist," Donovan said, "because it's going to wear him out."