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) βΒ 0 (Locked In)
To lock up the 6th seed (playoffs guaranteed) β 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
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.
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.
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.
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) β 12
To lock up the 6th seed (playoffs guaranteed) β 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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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) β 16
To lock up the 6th seed (playoffs guaranteed) β 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
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
All-Star Weekend is in the rear view. And all in all, it was a fun weekend for Thunder fans.
Cason Wallace helped bring Team Pau back from its early deficit to Team Detlef, and was then scapegoated for not being able to carry a team of top 3 picks back from the early hole it dug itself.
Chet Holmgren contributed to Team Jalenβs ultimate victory in a variety of ways. Layups, blocks, windmills. Just not lobs. Maybe just catch those for now, Chettar Bob.
Jalen Williams showed he is a 2-way demon, knocking down middies, 3-balls, spreading the ball around, being an on-ball pest, and off-ball menace. All in route to knocking down the game winning 3-pointer, showing the world what βDub Timeβ is. Dub, indeed.
Then of course, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander put on a show in his first (hopefully of many) starts in the All-Star game. The antithesis of his game was on full display. Instead of acrobatic finishes through contact and an assault of mid-range jumpers, it was an uncharacteristically scorching hot 7/10 shooting from the 3 point line and an array of high flying dunks, including a self alley-oop off the glass⦠IN TRAFFIC!
Yes, All-Star Weekend couldnβt have gone better for Thunder fans, sans Isaiah Joe being in the 3-point contest. And the weekend’s series of events is enough to get the fans excited for the return from All-Star break on Thursday against our rivals, the Los Angeles Clippers. But through the excitement of the break, people have forgotten that the Thunder may or may not have added the piece that takes this team from young and fun overachievers, to bonafide contenders in the Western Conference.
Last week, the Thunderβ¦
SIGNED BISMACK BIYOMBO!
Thatβs right! We are getting Bizzy with it! With our big Biyombro, we will be standing on Bizness for 48 minutes. *angry emoji with smoke coming out of nose*
As excited as I am for Biyombo, because of his ability to fill a role and his ability to raise the overall vibes for any locker room, itβs another move that this article is based around.
The trade that sent Tre Mann, Vasilije Micic, and Davis Bertans to Charlotte in exchange for none other than Gordon Hayward.
This trade is already a sore subject for Thunder fans. Tre had become a fan favorite, from his highlight reel dunks and stepback, to his fun and vibey personality on the bench and online. There were many (yours, truly included) that were sad to see him go. He has done well in his opportunities with the Hornets since then, making it hurt just a little more.
Micic, while he hasnβt been as consistent, has flashed many moments that have Thunder fans envying the former Euroleague MVP for the playoff run. And then you have Bertans, who has been fine, I guess.
On the Thunder side, we havenβt as much seen Hayward in a Thunder jersey. But Iβve been watching some film on him from this season. Not as a Celtic or during the Obama administration in Utah. No, from the 2023-24 NBA season, just to clear things up. While the name isnβt as big, flashy, or coveted as some of the other names around the league, his tape tells me Hayward is going to fit this team seamlessly.
Playmaker:
Not including his rookie year, Gordo (gotta find a nickname for this guy, let me live) hasnβt averaged less than 3 assists per game. This season, before he got hurt, he was averaging 4.6 assists per game. Which would be 2nd highest in his career (and .1 more than Josh Giddey hasβ¦).
Thereβs not much flashy about Gorgonβs passing. He doesnβt really bring the ball up the court and he doesnβt try to pretend to be Steve Nash. While he doesnβt always make jaw dropping, high level reads, he is constantly moving the ball and often times creating scoring opportunities for his teammates as the secondary, or even, tertiary creator.
While he isnβt necessarily a maestro with the basketball, Hayward can more than hold his own as a playmaker.
He gets it done in a variety of ways. Off the drive, off the catch, touch passes, in transition, dump offs, entry passes, the whole shebang.
Despite what the video above would lead you to believe, Hayward’s passes donβt lead to buckets 100% of the time, Iβm sorry to deceive you.
But whatβs important, and why he fits with the Thunder in this regard is, the ball doesnβt stick with him. There is no record scratch. He isnβt a ball stopper. He simply gets the ball, he drives it, he shoots it, or he quickly makes a pass.
Based on the tape above heβs going to create a lot of easy looks for Chet, Dub, Ous, Wiggs, and Boom (Jaylin Williams for those uninitiated). But heβs also going to be able to put Shai, Giddey, and Dub in scoring, and playmaking scenarios just with his willingness and participation of moving the ball around.
Shut up and drive:
When you watch a guy like Shai or Jalen Williams, you always hear the commentators talk about how relentless they are with their straight line drives to the basket. Shai has led the league in total drives going on 4 seasons, and even in his first season with the team, he still ranked 10th in the league. Dub, has a bit more variety to his game with the willingness to shoot a higher volume from deep, but particularly in late game situations, the gearshift is on D for him as well.
If you watch Gordon Bombay (yeah, that one felt wrong) you can tell heβs cut from that same cloth. While he canβt even smell the exhaust from Shaiβs tailpipe at 23.9 drives per game, he is not far behind from Dub (12.6) with 10.8 drives per game.
While he adds some variety to his game in post work, catch and shoot, etc., a lot of his playmaking, as evidenced by the video in the playmaking section, is dependent of his drives.
Even at age 33, Hayward is a strong driver to the basket.
Itβs no wonder he is constantly driving, as the Warden (I saw it on Twitter/X, Iβm not married to it) is shooting an impressive 69.3% at the rim this year. To put that into perspective, Shai is shooting 66.5%. Dub is shooting 66.3%. Chet is shooting 71.7%. And the finishing god squad of Cason, Ous, and Joe are shooting 72.8, 73.9, 76.5 respectively. And since you keep bugging me, Giddey is shooting 55.2%.
Cut to the chase:
Wiggs made his early career off of knowing how to cut to the basket. OKC has plenty other really good cutters. Dub, Cason, Kenny, and even Giddey have shown some juice as cutters this year.
Heβs no Edward Scissorshands, but my Hayward son (you see it) is a stealthy good cutter, and sneaky effective at it. Snake eyes (yeah this is bad, just having fun with the last sentence) averages 1.47 points per possession, while shooting 75%, on cuts but only at a frequency of 4.5%. For perspective, Shai is averaging 1.67 PPP on 80.8% shooting on 2% frequency. The aforementioned Aaron Wiggins is shockingly averaging only 1.3 PPP on 64.7% shooting, but on a team leading 15.6% frequency.
Hayward is literally playing Fruit Ninja with NBA defenses.
LaMelo Ball is a phenomenal playmaker. But he is one man. The Thunder’s entire roster has some playmaking juice. Pair that with his basketball IQ and understanding of space, and you have a smart and opportune cutter to add to the death by 1000 basket cuts.
There are a lot of things to like about Hayward. His shooting, while percentages are a tad down at 36.1%, he is shooting 40.8% on catch and shoot 3βs, 41.2% from the corners, and 42.4% on open 3-point jumpers.
He is averaging almost 5 rebounds per game, which will help a bit with that side of things. As well as averaging 1.1 steals per game. With guys like Dort and Dub at the point of attack and Chet as the back line, Hayward should be able to generate a number of steals for this already stingy defense.
Overall, the fit is very nice. And the price for the trade, with the flexibility to possibly re-sign him moving forward, makes the deal a no brainer.
Gordon Hayward is the type of player that can add one more punch to the Thunder’s push to the finals.
And if all Iβve said above comes to fruition, that punch may just end up being a Haymaker.
Hmmm, Haymaker.
I LIKE IT.
Special shoutout to @derthun_ and @homahoops for showing me the ways of the force and video editing. Be sure to follow them for great Thunder content. As well as me @ThunderChats, and my podcast @OKCTopicThunder. Thunder 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
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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).
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).
Consistency. Getting things done in a manner that become almost habitual. When it comes to winning basketball teams, consistency usually takes the form of performance over a certain amount of time. We always hear things like “This team is 8-2 over their last 10 games”. But to remain consistent over an entire 82-game season is not just the mark of a good team. It’s usually the mark of an elite team. Also a lucky one, at that.
There are only four teams in the league that have yet to have suffered a 3-game losing streak on the season. And those four teams consist of the top two teams in each conference. We’re almost 50 games into the season. That’s not an anomaly…that’s the trend for these four teams. Even through a hellish schedule, the Thunder have remained as consistent as possible in keeping pace in the West. With a little bit of rest in the horizon, the Thunder are in prime position to make a push heading into the playoffs.
This is the first meeting of the season between these two teams. They meet again on April 7th in Charlotte.
Betting Info
Line: OKC -16.5
O/U: 225.5
Injury Report
OKC
Isaiah Joe (sternal contusion) – OUT
Jalen Williams (ankle) – OUT
CHA
LaMelo Ball (ankle) – Doubtful
Three Big Things
Miles Bridges and PJ Washington – For some reason, these two players terrify me (and it’s not just because Bridges can get a little physical, if you know what I mean (I’ll be here all week)). Tweeners that can masquerade as small ball 5’s give the Thunder fits. And it always seems like these two players choose their games against Oklahoma City to turn into big-bodied Stephen Currys. If LaMelo Ball is out, I know these will be the only options for the Hornets and the Thunder’s defense will be keyed in. But still….
Run ‘Em and Attack the Paint – By most metrics, Charlotte is the worst defensive team in the league. They are a bottom-10 team in allowing the most points off turnovers, the most 2nd-chance points, and the most points in the paint. Surprisingly, for being such a young team, they are 22nd in pace. They are bottom-10 in turnover percentage. They are bottom-3 in true shooting percentage. Simply put, they are a bad team.
All I could think about yesterday as the clock was counting down on the Thunder’s loss to the Pistons was the scene in Avengers: Infinitiy War where Thanos is speaking to Red Skull on how to obtain the Soul Stone and Red Skull responds with “A soul for a Soul”. I rewind back to Saturday night, as I was cheering the San Antonio Spurs on for beating the Thunder’s current rivals, the Minnesota Timberwolves. At the time, I remember thinking, “Yes! We’re now officially a half game up on Minnesota and we play Detroit tomorrow.”
The assumption was that OKC would take care of business against the Pistons and put themselves a full game up on Minnesota in the standings heading into their Monday night tussle. Damn you, trap game. The Thunder were caught looking ahead and played one of their worst games of the season. The 16-point defeat was the Thunder’s worse since they lost to Denver by 33 in the third game of the season. The mentality of going from the hunter to the hunted is something that is new to this young Thunder squad. When you are on top, you get everyone’s best shot.
This is the final meeting of the season between these two teams. The Thunder lead the season series 2-1.
Betting Info
Line: OKC -2.5
O/U: 224.5
Injury Report
OKC
Tre Mann (personal) – Day to Day
MIN
Jaylen Clark (Achilles) – OUT
Mike Conley (hamstring) – Questionable
Three Big Things
Turn Them Over – Minnesota isn’t very adept at protecting the ball. They turn the ball over at the third worst clip in the league, averaging 15.2 turnovers per game. Conversely, the Thunder do a great job at protecting the ball (4th best) and score the most points in the league off of turnovers (20 per game). If the Thunder win this battle, they likely win the game.
Pace – The Thunder love to run the pace up a bit against Minnesota, in order to prevent them from getting into their defense. If you allow Rudy Gobert to set-up in the paint, it makes it that much more difficult for the likes of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams to play their brand of basketball. The Thunder are 6th in the league at Fastbreak Points, while the Timberwolves are 4th best at defending against Fastbreak Points. If the Thunder can up the pressure because of their pace, it plays more into their brand of basketball.
Lots at stake – Win today, and you win the season series against the Timberwolves outright. Meaning that if a tie occurs at the end of the season, the Thunder would finish ahead of Minnesota because of their head to head matchups. In addition, the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers don’t appear to be slowing down. Keeping pace with them will help the Thunder keep them at bay.
