- Oklahoma City Thunder (23-10, 2nd in the West) @ Brooklyn Nets (15-20, 9th in the East)
- When: Friday, 05 January 2024 at 6:30pm CST
- Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY
- Offensive Rating – BKN: 115.3 (15th) / OKC: 119.5 (5th)
- Defensive Rating – BKN: 117.1 (23rd) / OKC: 111.3 (6th)
- Net Rating – BKN: -1.8 (22nd) / OKC: 8.1 (3rd)
The Set-Up
It’s a bit crazy to play against a team and covet so many of their players. Teams like Brooklyn and Utah are loaded with veterans that would instantly make the Thunder an even better team. Both teams are in some sort of weird transition (either between rebuilding or putting together a playoff team) and have coveted vets from the aftermaths of major trades they made in the past. I can name five players on Brooklyn and three players on Utah who would look good in Thunder blue. And many of those players would not cost a ton for the Thunder to acquire. As the Thunder play Brooklyn tonight, just pay attention to some of the players on the Nets, as they made end up in OKC in due time.
This is the 2nd and final meeting of the season between these two teams. The Thunder beat the Nets 124-106 on New Year’s Eve in Oklahoma City.
Betting Info
- Line: OKC -5.5
- O/U: 234.5
Injury Report
OKC
- None
BKN
- Ben Simmons (back) – OUT
- Dennis Smith Jr. (back) – Probable
- Lonnie Walker IV (hamstring) – Probable
Three Big Things
- Another Desperate Team – The Atlanta Hawks had come into Wednesday’s game having lost four of their last five and looking at a season that was quickly spiraling into disappointment. The Brooklyn Nets are in that same boat. Having lost 10 of their last 12, and currently riding a 5-game losing streak, the Nets are looking to get back on the right track. These two teams played each other less than a week ago and the Nets had a great first quarter in that game, before they seemingly forgot how to shoot and ended up losing by 16.
- Cam Thomas – The definition of a microwave scorer. Just this season alone, in 26 games, Thomas has had two 40-point games, four 30-point games, and nine 20-point games. He looked like he was well on his way to another 40-point night on New Year’s Eve in OKC, starting that game shooting 4-4 for 10 points in 6 minutes of game action in the first quarter. He shot 3-14 the rest of the game and missed 4 free throws along the way. He still finished with 20, but could’ve had so much more.
- Controlled Defensive Aggressiveness – The Nets do a great job of protecting the ball. They are the 4th best at protecting the ball, averaging just 12.6 turnovers a game. Against the Thunder last Sunday, the Nets only had seven turnovers. It was an over-aggressive defense in the first quarter of that game that allowed the Nets to get so many open looks. Oklahoma City corrected as the game went on, but it was a lesson to be learned.