- Oklahoma City Thunder (41-17, 2nd in the West) @ San Antonio Spurs (11-48, 15th in the West)
- When: Thursday, 29 February 2024 at 7:30pm CST
- Where: Frost Bank Center, San Antonio, TX
- Offensive Rating – SAS: 109.0 (27th) / OKC: 119.4 (3rd)
- Defensive Rating – SAS: 117.5 (24th) / OKC: 111.1 (4th)
- Net Rating – SAS: -8.5 (27th) / OKC: 8.4 (2nd)
The Set-Up
It’s scary how quickly this team has gotten good. The previous iteration of the Thunder with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook were great because those two players were top-5 players in the league and their combined talent overwhelmed most teams. Their major flaw was the scheme, both offensively and defensively, around them. As they got into the playoffs, elite coaches could scheme against the lack of options on the team once you got past those first two players.
What we are seeing with this new version of the good Thunder is that while the top 2-3 players on the team aren’t yet on par with prime level KD and Russ, the scheme around them allows more leeway, not only for the big 3, but also the supporting cast. While both teams fielded talented players, this team has great coaching on its side. And the scary part is Coach Daigneault is still learning.
This is the 3rd of four meetings this season between the Spurs and Thunder. Oklahoma City has won the previous two by 36 and 26 points, respectively. They meet for the final time in April.
Magic Numbers
- To lock up the 10th seed (play-in guaranteed) β 15
- To lock up the 6th seed (playoffs guaranteed) β 17
Betting Info
- Line: OKC -11.5
- O/U: 236.5
Injury Report
OKC
- None
SAS
- Marcus Morris Sr. (Not With Team) – OUT
- Charles Bassey (knee) – OUT
Three Big Things
- Track Meet potential – Both of these teams are top-10 in Pace and in Fastbreak Points, which makes sense with both being two of the youngest teams in the league. The difference is on the defensive end where Oklahoma City is the 3rd best team at defending in transition, whereas San Antonio, is the 11th worst.
- The Chet vs. Wemby match-up – The first four minutes of the fourth quarter in their last game was a glimpse into what most fans want to see from these two. The battling, the shit-talking, the snarls, the passive-aggressiveness, the “calling for the ball”. But here’s the reality: that doesn’t happen if OKC isn’t up by 24 heading into the final quarter. The Thunder coaching staff wouldn’t have allowed it and Chet wouldn’t have allowed himself to get lured into a detrimental one on one match-up in the middle of a tight game. While both players are highly competitiveness, I think Chet has a slight leg up in the maturity department. With all that said, though, Chet has been on a tear since the All-Star break and it would be awesome to see him have a great statistical game against Wembanyama.
- Turn them over – The Spurs turn the ball over a ton and the Thunder create a ton of turnovers. Sounds like a match-up that will favor the Thunder.