Category Archives: Game Previews

Pre-game post

Milwaukee Bucks vs. Thunder preview (Game 81 of 82)

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  • Milwaukee Bucks (49-31, 2nd in the East) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (55-25, 3rd in the West)
  • When: Friday, 12 April 2024 at 7:00pm CST
  • Where: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK
  • Offensive Rating – MIL: 118.0 (5th) / OKC: 118.1 (4th)
  • Defensive Rating – MIL: 114.9 (18th) / OKC: 111.5 (4th)
  • Net Rating – MIL: 3.2 (8th) / OKC: 6.6 (2nd)

The Set-Up

The Play-In tournament is working. Even though the post-season participants have been known for a while now, the positioning of the majority of those teams is still in the air. And that makes games in April matter. Whether it’s trying to avoid the 9/10 game or trying to avoid the play-in games altogether, most teams are still playing with fervor with 1-2 games left to play. That was basically unheard of in years past. April games were very similar to summer league games, where NBA hopefuls and team developmental players would get their opportunity to shine. Now we are still seeing guys like LeBron and Steph battle it out trying to move up out of the 9/10 game. It makes for a fun 82-game season, instead of the usual 75-game season plus 7-game G-League showcase at the end of the season.

This is the 2nd and final meeting of the season between these two teams. The Thunder were soundly defeated by the Bucks in late March by a score of 118-93. A game in which the Thunder likely played their worst third quarter of the season, getting outscored 34-17 and shooting just 24% from the field for those 12 minutes.

Betting Info

  • Line: OKC -14.5
  • O/U: 223.5

Injury Report

OKC

  • Josh Giddey (hip) – Questionable

MIL

  • Giannis Antetokounmpo (calf) – OUT
  • AJ Green (ankle) – OUT
  • Damian Lillard (adductor) – OUT

Three Big Things

  1. Playoff Seeding – Milwaukee and OKC find themselves in similar situations when it comes to playoff seeding. OKC still has the opportunity to get the No. 1 seed in the West, but would need a divine miracle for the Nuggets to lose to both the Spurs and Grizzlies in their last two games of the season. The battle for No. 2 and 3 likely hinges on how serious the Thunder and Timberwolves take these last two games. Both teams are tied as far as record is concerned, but Minnesota holds the tie-breaker due to their better conference record. Minnesota plays Atlanta, who is already locked into the 10th seed in the East, and Phoenix, who could still be battling for the 6th seed in the West. OKC plays Milwaukee, who is still battling for the No. 2 or No. 3 seed in the East, and Dallas, who is basically locked into the 5th seed in the West. OKC would need to win out and hope Minnesota loses one of their last two games in order to secure the 2nd seed.
  2. SGA – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has played with so much vigor since he returned from a 4-game absence due to a quad injury. In the two games he’s played (on a back to back, at that), SGA has averaged 33 points, 7 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 2 stocks on 54/50/84 shooting splits. That burst with zero hesitation on the drives is back. And so is the swag of the team. When Sacramento had the Thunder down by 20 in the first half on Tuesday, you just had the feeling that SGA would will the Thunder back. When he is on, the Thunder have a different feel about them.
  3. Bobby “Michael Jordan” Portis – For the season, Bobby Portis is averaging 13.9 points and 7.4 rebounds. But for some reason, in the seven games Giannis Antetokounmpo has missed, Bobby Portis turns into Robert Portis with a grown man game. In those seven games, Portis averages 23.7 points and 10.4 rebounds. Here’s hoping he has a Bobby Portis game and not a Robert Portis game.

Houston Rockets vs. Thunder preview (Game 72 of 82)

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  • Houston Rockets (36-35, 11th in the West) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (50-21, 2nd in the West)
  • When: Wednesday, 27 March 2024 at 7:00pm CST
  • Where: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK
  • Offensive Rating – HOU: 113.7 (19th) / OKC: 118.7 (4th)
  • Defensive Rating – HOU: 112.1 (8th) / OKC: 111.4 (5th)
  • Net Rating – HOU: 1.6 (15th) / OKC: 7.3 (2nd)

The Set-Up

Sometimes, a tough, hard-fought victory is exactly what the doctor ordered. Last night’s win over the New Orleans Pelicans is exactly the kind of gritty, grind-it-out game that the Thunder needed to win to feel good about themselves. Even though they have gone 8-2 over their last 10, the losses have felt almost disastrous and the wins have felt “meh”. It was good knowing that the Thunder didn’t have to play their best in order to win in a playoff environment.

This is the fourth and final meeting this season between these two teams. The Rockets won the first meeting early in December, 110-101. The Thunder returned the favor on back to back nights in late February, winning 123-110 and 112-95, respectively.

Magic Numbers

  • To lock up the 10th seed (play-in guaranteed) – 0 (Locked In)
  • To lock up the 6th seed (playoffs guaranteed) – 3
  • To lock up the 4th seed (homecourt advantage in the first round guaranteed) – 6

Betting Info

  • Line: OKC -6.5
  • O/U: 231.5

Injury Report

OKC

  • Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (quad) – Day to Day

HOU

  • Steven Adams (knee) – OUT
  • Tari Eason (lower leg) – OUT
  • Alperen Sengun (ankle) – OUT
  • Cam Whitmore (knee) – OUT

Three Big Things

  1. Transition Offense vs. Transition Defense – The Thunder love to get out on the break and run. They are first in the league in points off turnovers and 7th in fast break points. The young legs on the team love to get up and down the floor. However, Houston is probably the best transition defense in the league. The Rockets allow the third fewest points off turnovers and are first in defending fast break points.
  2. Hot Team Extinguishers – The Thunder always seem to get teams when they are playing their best. In December, they faced a Clippers team that had found it’s groove after the James Harden trade and came into OKC on a 9-game winning streak. The result: a 134-115 OKC victory. There was a run of 13 games for Denver in December, where they went 11-2, with the two losses coming at the hands of the Thunder. In January, the Boston Celtics came into OKC having won 11 of their last 12 games. The result: a 127-123 OKC victory. Tonight, the Rockets come into OKC on a 9-game winning streak. Here’s hoping the Thunder aren’t too beat up or tired from last night’s tough game.
  3. Ewing Theory – Since Alperen Sengun went down 7 games ago, certain players on the Rockets have stepped up in big ways. In that same span, Jalen Green and Jock Landale have net ratings of 24.2 and 24.5, respectively. Green, especially, has seen a huge leap in production as the former No. 2 pick looks like he’s starting to live up to his lofty billing. In the last 10 games, Green is averaging 27.6 points on 50/43/78 shooting splits. His true shooting is in the mid 60’s and his usage is up to 30 during that time. Londale has allowed Houston to play a more modern style due to his ability to step out and hit 3’s. In his last 10 games, Landale is shooting 55.6% from deep.

Thunder @ New Orleans Pelicans preview (Game 71 of 82)

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  • Oklahoma City Thunder (49-21, 2nd in the West) @ New Orleans Pelicans (44-27, 4th in the West)
  • When: Tuesday, 26 March 2024 at 7:00pm CST
  • Where: Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, LA
  • Offensive Rating – NO: 117.0 (10th) / OKC: 118.6 (5th)
  • Defensive Rating – NO: 111.4 (6th) / OKC: 111.4 (5th)
  • Net Rating – NO: 5.6 (4th) / OKC: 7.3 (2nd)

The Set-Up

For months, the big four in the Western Conference has been the Thunder, the Nuggets, the Timberwolves, and the Clippers. It was almost a forgone conclusion that those would be the top-4 seeds in the West. But lo and behold, a challenger has arisen from the Gulf Coast. For much of the first half of the season, New Orleans’ season was viewed as a disappointment. Injuries to key contributors like Trey Murphy III and Jose Alvarado had sapped a lot of the depth the Pelicans had. Zion Williamson was once again fighting the battle of the bulge…and losing. The turning point in the season for Zion (and for the Pelicans) was an embarrassing 133-89 loss to the Lakers in the In-Season Tournament semifinals that saw Zion get outscored, outworked, and outclassed by LeBron James.

Since then, New Orleans has gone 32-16 and Zion has reworked his game and his body to become his most optimal self. Williamson is noticeably slimmer than he was earlier in the season and his game has transformed itself into more of a point-Zion trajectory. He handles the ball more off boards and is second on the team in assists per game. The lost weight has allowed Zion to look more like Duke Zion and has made him a force to be reckoned with anytime he is remotely close to the basket.

This is the third and final meeting of the season between these two teams. On November 1st, Oklahoma City squandered an early 22-point lead in the first game to end up on the losing end of things, 106-110. The Thunder returned the favor in late January, handling the Pelicans easily in New Orleans, 107-83.

Magic Numbers

  • To lock up the 10th seed (play-in guaranteed) – 0 (Locked In)
  • To lock up the 6th seed (playoffs guaranteed) – 5

Betting Info

  • Line: OKC -1.5
  • O/U: 223.5

Injury Report

OKC

  • None

NO

  • Dyson Daniels (knee) – OUT
  • Brandon Ingram (knee) – OUT

Three Keys Things

  1. Rebounding – I know, I know. The Thunder have gotten better at rebounding in the 2nd half of the season. And, yes, the Thunder have slowly proven that if they can beat you at nearly every other aspect of the game, the rebounding becomes a moot point. But against a team like New Orleans, those 2nd chance points can tilt the game in their favor. The Pelicans are a top-10 team in 2nd chance scoring and the Thunder, of course, are still one of the worst rebounding teams in the league. Jonas Valanciunas has always terrorized the Thunder on the boards and tonight should be no different. It’s making sure that the Pelicans don’t make the Thunder pay on those 2nd chance opportunities.
  2. SGA – Ever since the MVP discussion has gotten louder, SGA’s game has, unfortunately, petered off. Be it fatigue, wear & tear, injury, how teams are defending him, or all of the above, SGA just doesn’t feel like he has the same gear as he did pre-ASB. Hopefully it’s just a slump and he can work himself out of it. Many people forget that Jokic went through an early season slump that had many asking if he was out of shape from the celebratory off-season. Every player goes through periods like this. It just so happens that it’s louder for SGA because of where we’re at in the season.
  3. Prime-time Match-Up – Despite New Orleans’ slow start to the season, they’ve been one of the best teams in the league over the past 2 months. And the Thunder have been about as consistent as they come. As we head into the playoffs, these are the types of match-ups that can serve as “canaries in the coal mine” to see where the Thunder are mentally heading into their first postseason as a collective.

Indiana Pacers vs. Thunder preview (Game 65 of 82)

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  • Indiana Pacers (36-29, 7th in the East) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (45-19, 1st in the West)
  • When: Tuesday, 12 March 2024 at 7:00pm CST
  • Where: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK
  • Offensive Rating – IND: 120.1 (2nd) / OKC: 119.1 (3rd)
  • Defensive Rating – IND: 118.5 (25th) / OKC: 111.3 (4th)
  • Net Rating – IND: 1.5 (12th) / OKC: 7.9 (2nd)

The Set-Up

This is the first of two meetings this season between these two teams. Their next and final meeting is on April 5th.

Magic Numbers

  • To lock up the 10th seed (play-in guaranteed) – 8
  • To lock up the 6th seed (playoffs guaranteed) – 11

Betting Info

  • Line: OKC -6.5
  • O/U: 240.5

Injury Report

OKC

  • Jalen Williams (ankle) – Questionable

IND

  • Bennedict Mathurin (shoulder) – OUT
  • Doug McDermott (calf) – OUT

Three Big Things

  1. High Scoring Affair – These are two of the top offenses in the league. If there is a team that is the modern version of the “7 Seconds or Less” Suns, it’s the Indiana Pacers. They are 2nd in the league in pace and lead the league in Effective FG%, field goals made, and points in the paint. Their offensive system is top-notch. To slow this down, the Thunder may need to do something they aren’t accustomed to: they may need to slow the pace down themselves. Muddy the game a bit and have Indiana play in slosh.
  2. Attack the Paint – The Pacers’ Achilles heel is their interior defense. It’s bad. Like, Washington Wizards bad. The Pacers allow the 2nd most points in the paint, ahead of the Wizards by just a tenth of a point. The Thunder, meanwhile, are the 8th best team at scoring in the paint. Methinks, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander may find himself in the painted area a lot this game.
  3. Statement Game – Speaking of the aforementioned SGA, Nikola Jokic is making a late-season push to distance himself from SGA in the MVP race. The Nuggets are 9-1 in the 10 games since the All-Star break and Joker is putting up monster triple-doubles seemingly every game. At this point, with the narrative going around, keeping OKC in the top spot in the West may not be enough to win SGA the MVP. That trophy is usually won by magical moments, especially late in the season. For as great as SGA’s consistency is, his lack of an explosive game here or there, may be hurting his MVP campaign. I know, I know…”what more do you want him to do?” But the reality is that statement games matter in the MVP races.

Thunder @ Los Angeles Lakers preview (Game 61 of 82)

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  • Oklahoma City Thunder (42-18, 1st in the West) @ Los Angeles Lakers (33-29, 10th in the West)
  • When: Monday, 04 March 2024 at 9:30pm CST
  • Where: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA
  • Offensive Rating – LAL: 114.7 (17th) / OKC: 119.3 (3rd)
  • Defensive Rating – LAL: 115.3 (17th) / OKC: 111.4 (4th)
  • Net Rating – LAL: -0.6 (19th) / OKC: 8.0 (2nd)

The Set-Up

Back at the top. While the Thunder have been battling for the top stop the entire season, they haven’t really done that great of a job of holding on to the title when they get it. Tonight presents another opportunity to hold on to 1st place in the Western Conference. But a loss tonight, coupled with a likely Minnesota victory (they play Portland), could knock OKC back to #2, sitting tied with Denver in the standings. Luckily, OKC owns the tiebreaker with Denver and would get the higher seeding.

This is the fourth and final meeting of the regular season between these two teams. The Thunder won the first meeting 133-110 in OKC in late November. The Lakers returned the favor a couple weeks later, again in OKC, winning 129-120. The Lakers then beat OKC in Los Angeles in January, 112-105.

Magic Numbers

  • To lock up the 10th seed (play-in guaranteed) – 12
  • To lock up the 6th seed (playoffs guaranteed) – 16

Betting Info

  • Line: OKC -1.5
  • O/U: 238.5

Injury Report

OKC

  • Jaylin Williams (knee) – Day to Day

LAL

  • Colin Castleton (wrist) – OUT
  • Anthony Davis (achilles) – Probable
  • LeBron James (ankle) – Questionable
  • Cam Reddish (ankle) – Probable
  • Jarred Vanderbilt (foot) – OUT
  • Gabe Vincent (knee) – OUT
  • Christian Wood (knee) – OUT

Three Big Things

  1. Physicality – It’s funny because there are a lot of things that OKC and the Lakers do very similarly, despite the difference in their records. They are both poor rebounding teams who push the pace and shoot efficiently. Where they differ is in the amount of physicality the players are able to exert. LeBron James has game worn jerseys that are older than some of the players on the Thunder. Chet Holmgren was 10 years old when Anthony Davis started his career. It will be on the Thunder’s young core to either be quicker than the Lakers for the majority of the game or be purposefully more physical than the Lakers.
  2. Get in transition – The Lakers are the 5th worst team at stopping fast break points. The Thunder generate a lot of their offense in transition. It would benefit them to get fast break opportunities throughout the game and take advantage of them.
  3. Pack the paint – The Lakers are the worst team at generating points from the 3-point line. They score 55.1% of their points from 2-point territory (2nd in the league) and only 29.2% of their points from deep. The Thunder’s defensive scheme plays into this.

Thunder @ San Antonio Spurs preview (Game 59 of 82)

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  • 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) – 15
  • To lock up the 6th seed (playoffs guaranteed) – 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

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.

Houston Rockets vs. Thunder preview (Game 58 of 82)

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  • Houston Rockets (25-32, 12th in the West) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (40-17, 2nd in the West)
  • When: Tuesday, 27 February 2024 at 9:00pm CST
  • Where: PayCom Center, Oklahoma City, OK
  • Offensive Rating – HOU: 112.8 (24th) / OKC: 119.6 (3rd)
  • Defensive Rating – HOU: 112.8 (8th) / OKC: 111.4 (4th)
  • Net Rating – HOU: -0.1 (18th) / OKC: 8.2 (2nd)

The Set-Up

I’ve never solved the puzzle that is the Rubik Cube. I try and then eventually just give up. And I’ve never really done a deep dive into how to solve it either. But to some people, the Rubik Cube became an obsession. They researched it, spoke to people who had solved it before, and kept trying. Eventually, they figured the trick to the Cube and solved it. Now, you have people that can solve a Rubik Cube in less than a minute.

This season has been a lot like the solving of the Rubik Cube for the Thunder. Some teams flummoxed OKC early on, but through research (game film) and speaking with experts (Coach Daigneault), the Thunder have begun to figure teams out. Denver completely demolished the Thunder early in the season. Then the Thunder won the next three. Sacramento has given OKC issues for the past few seasons. The Thunder now seem to have figured that puzzle out. Houston plays like world-beaters every time their opponent has OKC written on their jersey. The Thunder turned a 16-point deficit into a 13-point victory on Sunday. Here’s hoping the puzzle of bad starts against Houston gets solved tonight.

This is the third of four meetings this season between these two teams. Houston dominated OKC in their first meeting in Houston, winning 110-101 (it wasn’t that close). OKC returned the favor on Sunday, winning 123-110. Their final meeting of the season will be on March 27th.

Magic Numbers

  • To lock up the 10th seed (play-in guaranteed) – 16
  • To lock up the 6th seed (playoffs guaranteed) – 19

Betting Info

  • Line: OKC -9.5
  • O/U: 235.5

Injury Report

OKC

  • None

HOU

  • Steven Adams (knee) – OUT
  • Tari Eason (lower leg) – OUT

Three Big Things

  1. The Josh Giddey conundrum – The Houston Rockets were the first team this season to really lean on the “put the center on Giddey and let them roam” defense that OKC has been seeing over the past two months. In Sunday’s game, the Thunder involved Giddey in a lot more action around the floor (pick and rolls, off-ball action, etc) to cause the defense to react to the movement. The beautiful thing about a home and home is that it almost has the feel of a playoff series where adjustments are made from game to game. It will be interesting to see how Houston adjusts to OKC putting Giddey in motion on the offensive end.
  2. Attack the paint – Houston has prioritized in long-winged perimeter defenders such as Tari Eason, Dillon Brooks, Jabari Smith Jr, and Amen Thompson. Where they lack is on the interior. While it may be a chore in getting into the paint, once they arrive, there isn’t much stopping from getting to the rim. For as good as Alperen Sengun has been on the offensive end, the defensive struggles are starting to become more and more apparent with every passing day.
  3. Gordon Hayward – While it has looked a little clunky, I think the Hayward trade will turn out to be very successful for the Thunder. He has yet to take a three in the three games he has played with OKC. That means one of two things for me: either Hayward is still figuring out where on the floor to be in order to compliment OKC’s big 3 or defenders are staying closer to Hayward than they would someone like, oh, I don’t know, Josh Giddey, and giving the big 3 more space to operate. I’m calling my shot: Hayward hits two 3-pointers tonight.

Los Angeles Clippers vs. Thunder preview (Game 55 of 82)

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  • Los Angeles Clippers (36-17, 3rd in the West) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (37-17, 2nd in the West)
  • When: Thursday, 22 February 2024 at 7:00pm CST
  • Where: PayCom Center, Oklahoma City, OK
  • Offensive Rating – LAC: 119.7 (3rd) / OKC: 119.2 (4th)
  • Defensive Rating – LAC: 114.3 (13th) / OKC: 111.9 (4th)
  • Net Rating – LAC: 5.4 (5th) / OKC: 7.3 (2nd)

The Set-Up

And we’re back to your regularly scheduled program. From the studio that brought you “28 Days Later”, “28 Weeks Later”, and “28 Years Later” comes the latest film, “28 Games Left”. An action-drama-comedy that follows a young cast of characters as they battle numerous villainous foes on their way to the promised land. A land, they once thought their ancestors would capture, but never could. The film stars up and coming action star and poet laureate Shay Gilly, eye-wear model Squints Diaganolt, comedian Dub Will-I-Ams, and method actor extraordinaire Sticks Homegren. The movie will be directed by 20-time Oscar winner and head of the Boston chapter of the Mensa Institute, Samson Prezzi.

This is the third and final meeting of the season between these two teams. The Thunder won the first meeting, 134-115, in Oklahoma City in December. The Clippers returned the favor on their homecourt, 128-117, the following month.

Magic Number

  • To lock up the 10th seed (play-in guarantee) – 20
  • To lock up the 6th seed (playoffs guaranteed) – 24

Betting Info

  • Line: OKC -1.5
  • O/U: 235.5

Injury Report

OKC

  • None

LAC

  • None

Three Big Things

  1. Pace – There isn’t a ton that separates these two teams statistically. They are both great shooting team that are both disruptive defensively. Where they differ a bit is in their pace of play. The Thunder rank 10th in pace while the Clippers rank 22nd. In their win against the Clippers in December, the Thunder made it a focus to push the ball early in possessions and catch the Clippers off-balance defensively. The Clippers were more aware of that in their 2nd meeting and consistently shut that off for the Thunder.
  2. Gordon Hayward and Bismack Biyombo – The new acquisitions for the Thunder will make their debuts tonight. If you haven’t already read Dylan’s article, there are many reasons why the debut of Hayward should make you excited. Don’t expect to see too much of Biyombo. Thunder coach Mark Daigneault already said that he would be more of a situational player. We will also see the debut of married man Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. If the All-Star game was any indication, married man SGA may be a completely different animal for the NBA to handle.
  3. Games of hella consequence – These are the games we were longing for when we were watching Jaylen Hoard and Georgios Kalaitzakis ball out there for the Thunder several years ago. The tie-breaker between these two teams is at stake tonight. Second place in the West is at stake tonight. Keeping pace in the top of the West is at stake tonight. And SGA’s continued MVP campaign is at stake tonight. All the rotation players for the Clippers have been in similar situations to this multiple times in their careers. For the Thunder, games like tonight are continued learning experiences, but at an accelerated pace. It’s like they are in an NBA honors class.

Thunder @ Orlando Magic preview (Game 54 of 82)

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  • Oklahoma City Thunder (36-17, 2nd in the West) @ Orlando Magic (29-24, 6th in the East)
  • When: Tuesday, 13 February 2024 at 6:30PM CST
  • Where: Kia Center, Orlando, FL
  • Offensive Rating – ORL: 112.6 (24th) / OKC: 119.1 (5th)
  • Defensive Rating – ORL: 112.6 (4th) / OKC: 112.0 (5th)
  • Net Rating – ORL: 0.9 (15th) / OKC: 7.2 (2nd)

The Set-Up

Let’s rewind to last year’s offseason. The schedule comes out and the only nationally televised game for the Thunder is an early season jaunt against the Orlando Magic in OKC. The number 1 pick, Paolo Banchero, versus the number 2 pick, Chet Holmgren. This was back before anyone realized the Thunder were going to do aight that season. It was going to be OKC’s time to shine.

But Chet decided to play in a Seattle pro-am that featured LeBron James. A fastbreak drive by James led to Holmgren planting his foot wrong and suffering a broken foot. Holmgren out for the season and the NBA moved quick to flex that spot to another game. Silly, NBA. But here we are nearly 16 months later and we are replaying that event. Orlando vs. OKC on TNT (this time in Orlando).

This is the 2nd and final meeting of the season between these two team. The Thunder won the first meeting in OKC, 112-100, on Topic: Thunder Fan Night in January.

Betting Info

  • Line: OKC -2.5
  • O/U: 223.5

Injury Report

OKC

  • Bismack Biyombo (Return to Action protocol) – OUT
  • Gordon Hayward (calf) – OUT

ORL

  • None

Three Big Things

  1. Franz Wagner – I know that I should probably be worried more about Paolo Banchero. But in their last three wins, Wagner has scored 36, 34, and 38 points. He’s a lot like Jalen Williams in that he can navigate the dribble through multiple screens and score from all three levels. Wagner’s assignment will likely fall on Lu Dort or Jalen Williams, which should make for an interesting match-up.
  2. Zone-busting – Orlando has some long, physical defenders. They will likely zone a lot tonight, so the Thunder will have to find ways to bust the zone. They will have to make open shots tonight. Guys like Dort, Isaiah Joe, Cason Wallace, and Aaron Wiggins will need to have efficient nights to make the lives of SGA and J-Dub a little easier.
  3. Dueling strengths and weaknesses – Another game where the strengths of one team (rebounding by Orlando) is the weakness of the other, while the strengths of one team (creating turnovers by OKC) is the weakness of the other. Here’s to OKC’s strength being more impactful than their weakness.

Thunder @ Utah Jazz preview (Game 51 of 82)

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  • Oklahoma City Thunder (35-15, 1st in the West) @ Utah Jazz (25-26, 10th in the West)
  • When: Tuesday, 06 February 2024 at 8:00pm CST
  • Where: Delta Center, Salt Lake City, UT
  • Offensive Rating – UTA: 115.6 (16th) / OKC: 119.3 (5th)
  • Defensive Rating – UTA: 117.9 (25th) / OKC: 111.2 (4th)
  • Net Rating – UTA: -2.3 (23rd) / OKC: 8.1 (2nd)

The Set-Up

The top-4 teams in the Western Conference are separated by half a game. HALF A GAME! A rough night at the office and a team could tumble from 1st to 4th pretty quickly. The Thunder have gone from hardly playing any games of consequence over the last three seasons to playing a game of consequence almost nightly. The Thunder and Timberwolves have seemingly been tit for tat for the better part of the new year. The Clippers are the hottest team in the league right now and the Nuggets likely haven’t even started playing their best brand of basketball yet.

With all that said, I’ve been very impressed by Oklahoma City’s poise and maturity throughout the season. The start the season as the “hunters” and still have the same hunger and focus once they became the “hunted”, takes a perspective way beyond the age of most of the players of the roster. Once they win the games, though, you see this team’s age in their post-game interviews. Here’s to continuing to win while young.

This is the third meeting of the season between these two division rivals. The Thunder have won the previous two, 134-120 in December and 134-129 in January. Their fourth and final meeting of the season is on March 20th.

Betting Info

  • Line: OKC -3.5
  • O/U: 240.5

Injury Report

OKC

  • Davis Bertans (knee) – Questionable
  • Ousmane Dieng (hip) – Questionable
  • Isaiah Joe (chest) – OUT
  • Vasilije Micic (ankle) – Questionable
  • Cason Wallace (shoulder) – Questionable
  • Lindy Waters III (ankle) – Questionable
  • Jalen Williams (ankle) – Questionable
  • Jaylin Williams (Achilles) – Questionable

UTA

  • Ochai Agbaji (illness) – Questionable

Three Big Things

  1. Trade Deadline Shenanigans – The game before the trade deadline and the game after the trade deadline always have the possibilities of being weird, roster-wise. The Thunder haven’t had an injury report that looked like that all season long. And now, the game before the trade deadline, half the roster is on the injury report. It may mean something. It may mean nothing. But it’s always shenanigans.
  2. Turn them over – The Utah Jazz are the most turnover-prone team in the league. They don’t have any real “floor-general” type players. All their point guards are undersized combo guards that aren’t great at playmaking. This plays immensely into what the Thunder do best defensively and what they like to do offensively (transition).
  3. Rebounding – Conversely, where the Jazz are great, the Thunder struggle. If the Thunder can’t turn the Jazz over and this turns into a half-court affair, the Thunder will need all-hands on deck in the rebounding department. Between Walker Kessler, John Collins, and Lauri Markkanen, the Jazz boast three guys that average 7.4 rebounds or more per game. The Thunder have only one in Chet Holmgren (7.5 rebounds per game).