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Detroit Pistons vs. Thunder preview (Game 76 of 82)

Posted on March 30, 2026 by Alex Roig

Detroit Pistons (54-20, 1st in the East) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (59-16, 1st in the West)
When: Monday, 30 March 2026 at 8:30pm CST
Where: Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, OK
TV: Peacock/NBCSN
Offensive Rating: DET: 117.0 (9th) / OKC: 117.3 (7th)
Defensive Rating: DET: 108.7 (2nd) / OKC: 106.3 (1st)
Net Rating: DET: 8.3 (3rd) / OKC: 11.0 (1st)
Current Streaks: DET: Winners of 2 in a row and 9 of their last 11 games / OKC: Winners of 2 in a row and 14 of their last 15 games
Magic Number (to clinch the No. 1 seed throughout the playoffs): 6

The Tip-Off

The end of season grind for playoff teams can be a balancing act of roster shuffling and getting real game-time reps in preparation for the postseason. Oklahoma City finds itself firmly entrenched in one of the top two positions in the West. But it also has to find games where it can play it’s normal starting unit, which has only seen about 8 games of action all season long. Finding time to catch a rhythm with the likes of Jalen Williams, Ajay Mitchell, and Isaiah Hartenstein, while also looking out for their health is the teeter totter of all teeter totters. If the Thunder can get all their players to the postseason healthy and in rhythm, great. If they can’t, then the real struggle begins.

This is the second and final meeting of the regular season between the Thunder and Pistons. Detroit won the first meeting 124-116 in a game that saw the Thunder without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, Alex Caruso, Ajay Mitchell, and Isaiah Hartenstein. In that game, four Thunder players scored at least 20 points, with Jaylin Williams leading the way with a career high 30 points.

Betting Info, presented by FanDuel

Line: OKC -12.5
O/U: 218.5

Injury Report

OKC

Isaiah Hartenstein – OUT (calf injury management)
Thomas Sorber – OFS (knee/ACL)
Jalen Williams – OUT (hamstring injury management)

DET

Cade Cunningham – OUT (chest/lung)
Jalen Duren – OUT (knee)
Tobias Harris – OUT (hip)
Duncan Robinson – OUT (hip)
Isaiah Stewart – OUT (calf)

Three Big Things

Trap-Game Potential – Detroit is down five of their top 8 rotation players. That doesn’t mean that the Pistons won’t fight. Just like the Thunder gave the Pistons a run for their money in Detroit while missing many of their top rotational players, the Pistons can do the same if the Thunder aren’t on their A-game.
SGA slump? – Over the past 2 games, SGA has shot 16/42 from the floor (38%), 1/13 from deep (8%), and has missed three free throws in each of those games. For a player who is famed for his efficiency, this is a slump of biblical proportions. For context though, the previous five games before this two-game run, SGA had shooting splits of 66% from the field and 53% from deep, while averaging 31 points per game. So it could be nothing. Or, it could be everything. I’m hoping it’s just a blip on the radar and not something like a lingering injury. Ausar Thompson, one of the best defenders in the league, will be hounding SGA all night tonight.
Daniss Jenkins – Over the past 5 games, Jenkins has been averaging 20.6 points and nearly 8 assists per game. He has been the catalyst that has helped Detroit remain afloat since the injury to Cade Cunningham. He’ll be missing a huge chunk of his supporting cast tonight, but he has shown the ability to take over games and leave his imprint on the floor.

Thunder @ Philadelphia 76ers preview (Game 72 of 82)

Posted on March 23, 2026 by Alex Roig

Oklahoma City Thunder (56-15, 1st in the West) @ Philadelphia 76ers (39-32, 7th in the East)
When: Monday, 23 March 2026 at 6:00pm CST
Where: Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, PA
TV: FDSN-OK
Offensive Rating: PHI: 114.1 (15th) / OKC: 117.1 (7th)
Defensive Rating: PHI: 114.6 (16th) / OKC: 106.1 (1st)
Net Rating: PHI: -0.5 (19th) / OKC: 11.0 (1st)
Current Streaks: PHI: Winners of 4 of their last 5 / OKC: Winners of 11 straight

The Tip-Off

I don’t have a big issue with the ejections or the suspensions, if the play or player warrants it. I just want consistency throughout the punishment process. My objection to Ajay Mitchell’s suspension is “was he just supposed to take the slap to the face?” Since when did the NBA turn into a religious organization that mandates turning the other cheek when struck or being pacifists when the other team is escalating the situation? How can a player (Anthony Gill) be fined after the game, but suffer no consequences in-game? Would the NBA’s behavior czar, James Jones, be so keen on doing nothing if he got slapped in the face? Like, make it make sense, because if it doesn’t make sense, then teams will try to approach the Thunder like this in the playoffs in hopes of getting the right person suspended for a game or more.

This is the second and final meeting of the season between the Thunder and Sixers. OKC won the first meeting by 25 in a game that saw Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren combine for 56 points on 22/30 shooting from the field. The Thunder were only up by 2 at halftime and completely dominated Philly in the 2nd half.

Betting Info, presented by FanDuel

Line: OKC -16
O/U: 224.5

Injury Report

OKC

Ajay Mitchell – OUT (suspension)
Thomas Sorber – OFS (knee/ACL)

PHI

Dominick Barlowe – Questionable (ankle)
Johni Broome – OUT (knee)
Joel Embiid – OUT (oblique)
Paul George – OUT (suspension)
Quentin Grimes – Questionable (illness)
Tyrese Maxey – OUT (finger)
Kelly Oubre Jr – OUT (elbow)

Three Big Things

Welcome Back, Dub – Jalen Williams returns to the lineup after reaggravating his hamstring on February 11th. I know the Thunder would never put any of their players in danger of reinjury, but it’s still scary as OKC navigates the rest of the season in hoping that Dub is truly over his hamstring issues. We’ve seen how hamstring injuries have affected Aaron Gordon and the Denver Nuggets through their series with OKC last postseason and throughout this season. OKC has proven throughout the regular season that they can navigate the choppy waters without Dub. But the postseason is an entirely different monster and having a healthy Dub available is probably the biggest X-factor for OKC.
Jared McCain – It was only 1.5 seasons, but McCain’s impact on Philly was felt when he got traded at the deadline in February. Tyrese Maxey was feeling some sort of way when the trade happened, and Sixers GM Darryl Morey had to explain that he was “selling high” when he shipped McCain off for a 2026 Houston Rockets first and three future second round picks. After struggling with injuries for much of the past season, McCain has assimilated almost seamlessly onto the Thunder and has become a key rotational piece off the bench. His floor spacing and play-making has filled a need the Thunder were vastly seeking in this injury-plagued season. In 19 games since the trade, McCain is averaging 12.3 points on 41% shooting from deep for OKC. Supposedly, there will be a video tribute for McCain tonight, which is high praise, considering he only played 60 games for the franchise and also considering that this is Philadelphia we’re talking about. Philly sports have gone soft.
Big Man superiority – With Joel Embiid being out, the Sixers will need to rely on Adem Bona and Andre Drummond. I fully expect the Thunder’s big man trio of Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Jaylin Williams to dominate in all aspects of post play.

Denver Nuggets vs. Thunder preview (Game 66 of 82)

Posted on March 9, 2026 by Alex Roig

Denver Nuggets (39-25, 6th in the West) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (50-15, 1st in the West)
When: Monday, 09 March 2026 at 6:30pm CST
Where: Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, OK
TV: Peacock/NBCSN/FDSN-OK
Offensive Rating: DEN: 120.0 (1st) / OKC: 116.8 (8th)
Defensive Rating: DEN: 116.3 (22nd) / OKC: 105.9 (1st)
Net Rating: DEN: 3.8 (9th) / OKC: 10.9 (1st)
Current Streaks: DEN: Inconsistent at best; 6-9 in their last 15 / OKC: Winners of 5 straight, 8-1 in their last 9

The Tip-Off

This is the third of four meetings this season between these Northwest Division rivals. After a grueling 7-game series in the second round of last season’s playoffs, these two teams haven’t let off the gas when they meet each other. OKC dominated the first game, winning by 10 points in Denver. The second game was a lot more competitive, with Denver controlling most of the game, but OKC continuously keeping it close until they were able to make it a back and forth affair late in the game and winning in overtime. That game featured some physicality, a Lu Dort flagrant 2, and a kerfuffle that saw Nikola Jokic and Jaylin Williams do the tango at halfcourt.

Betting Info, presented by FanDuel

Line: OKC -6.5
O/U: 232.5

Injury Report

OKC

Branden Carlson – OUT (back)
Alex Caruso – OUT (hip)
Isaiah Hartenstein – OUT (calf)
Chet Holmgren – Questionable (illness)
Thomas Sorber – OFS (knee/ACL)
Jalen Williams – OUT (hamstring)

DEN

Jamal Murray – Questionable (ankle)
Peyton Watson – OUT (hamstring)

Three Big Things

Playoff Atmosphere – This is the NBA’s only current rivalry that has recent playoff history behind it. The Pacers and Knicks had some sauce behind it after last season, but with the Pacers’ “waiting in the wings” season this year, it hasn’t had the same carry-over effect. And Thunder vs. Spurs has been a thing this year, but we’ll need at least one playoff series before crowning it a true, budding rivalry. But you can see with every game these two teams have played this season, the carry-over effect has been evident and that is a great thing.
Spillage From Last Game – There was a national discourse over a certain play in the last Denver game that seemed to last about a week after the game was actually played. Yes, the Dort hip check/trip on Jokic was dirty. Have dirty plays like that happened in the NBA before? Yes. Were there national discussions over it days after it happened? Usually not. It was a play that went a little over the line. Dort even admitted it himself. But in a annals of dirty plays, it wouldn’t even rate in the top-100. It was much ado about nothing.
History – They say great scorers can jump out of bed and drop 20 like it’s nothing. But apparently, it’s very difficult to do it consistently, game after game. There’s the possibility of injury, where regardless of when the player gets knocked out of a game, if they played and didn’t score 20 or more the streak is over. Then there’s the consistency component. Do anything 125 times straight, and there will be a time or two where you don’t have it that day. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is staring down the barrel of a record that hasn’t been talked about too much in the history of the NBA, but also, hasn’t been talked about a lot because no player has gotten this close to the record. If SGA scores 20 or more tonight, he’ll tie a record that has stood for 63 years. If SGA scores 20 or more tonight, he’ll tie a Wilt Chamberlain record. Wilt Chamberlain, the man who owns nearly every scoring record in the game. Here’s to seeing history tonight.

Thunder @ Portland Trailblazers preview (Game 9 of 82)

Posted on November 5, 2025 by Alex Roig

Oklahoma City Thunder (8-0) at Portland Trailblazers (4-3)
When: Wednesday, 05 November 2025 at 9:00pm CST
Where: Moda Center, Portland, OR
TV: FDSN-OK
Offensive Rating: POR: 115.2 (15th) / OKC: 118.5 (4th)
Defensive Rating: POR: 111.7 (9th) / OKC: 104.8 (1st)
Net Rating: POR: 3.5 (9th) / OKC: 13.7 (1st)

The Set-Up

We’ll just call it “The Wave”. The thing that jump-started what you currently see happening now in the NBA. When Damian Lillard hit the game-winner in Game 6 of the first round of the 2019 NBA playoffs, it put into motion the events that eventually netted the Thunder the 2025 NBA championship. And, in my humble opinion, it had to happen that way. If Dame misses that shot and the Thunder eventually win the series, there is no impetus for a rebuild, even though that roster had grown moldier than month-long bread. That shot, pushed the Thunder into the deep end of the “rebuild” pool. It had to happen that way. It had to be embarrassing. It had to hurt our pride. But it allowed us to reset and refocus with the hope of something better. And, it actually worked.

This is the first of four meetings this season between these two Northwest Division rivals. The Thunder swept the season series last season and have swept the season series for the last four seasons. That’s 16 wins in a row against one team over a four season span.

Betting Info

Line: OKC -4
O/U: 231.5

Injury Report

OKC

Alex Caruso – OUT (rest)
Lu Dort – OUT (shoulder contusion)
Chet Holmgren – OUT (back)
Thomas Sorber – OFS (knee/ACL)
Nikola Topic – OUT (cancer treatment)
Jalen Williams – OUT (wrist)
Kenrich Williams – OUT (knee)

POR

Scoot Henderson – OUT (hamstring)
Damian Lillard – OUT (Achilles)
Shaedon Sharpe – Probable (calf)
Matisse Thybulle – OUT (thumb)
Blake Wesley – OUT (foot)

Three Big Things

Little Brother – Looking at how Portland plays is a little like looking at old home videos of the Thunder as they progressed through the rebuild. Portland leads the lead in steals, are third in percentage of points off the fast break, and are second in the league (only behind OKC) in percentage of points off turnovers. The defensive ethos for both teams is very similar – use length to create havoc in the passing lanes, be aggressive, and cause the opponent to turn the ball over as much as possible to turn defense into offense.
Isaiah Joe – Joe has come out in his first three games with a flame thrower. Through three games, he has 14 made threes, which is the most in Thunder history for a player’s first three games of the season. But it’s not just the shooting. It’s the type of shots he is hitting. Some of these threes are at least a coupe of feet behind the 3-point line. A lot of them are quick, no hesitation, no thought shots. Though Joe was solid in the playoffs, his effectiveness (and his threat of hitting 3’s) was muted when the lights got the brightest. This, in turn, caused his minutes to go down. But if that experience created the monster we see now, it was well worth it.
Belgium – Shoutout to Belgium tonight. Their only two active NBA representatives play tonight. Ajay Mitchell and Toumani Camara are both starting to make their marks in the NBA. The small European nation, which is surrounded by basketball powerhouses like France and Germany, may have a small presence on the basketball stage currently. But if players like Mitchell and Camara are a sign of things to come, we’ll be seeing a lot more Belgian flags on rosters in the future.

Thunder vs. Pelicans – Game 4 Adjustments

Posted on April 29, 2024 by Alex Roig

Series: OKC leads 3-0
When: Monday, 29 April 2024 at 7:30pm CST
Where: Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, LA
TV: NBATV/BallySportsOK (WTF?)

Game 3 Notables

New Orleans was held to 28.1% shooting from deep, while OKC registered 47.2% from distance.
Lu Dort and Josh Giddey tied for the most 3-points made on either team with 4 each.
The Thunder forced 20 turnovers.

Game 4 Adjustments

Close-out Game – This is always the hardest game from a mental standpoint. Take into account that this is the Thunder’s first close-out game under this recent iteration. The only players on the team that have any sort of experience in close-out games are Mike Muscala, Bismack Biyombo, and Gordon Hayward. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Lu Dort were part of a Game 7 against Houston in the 2020 Bubble, but lost that game in close fashion. Psychologically, the Thunder have to be tougher than ever in order to avoid a let-down due to being up 3-0 in mostly dominant fashion. As we’ve seen in these playoffs, you don’t want to leave anything up to chance. If you can avoid playing games and avoid injuries, you do that if at all possible.
Continue playing your game – There hasn’t been any over the top performances by the Thunder players in this postseason. It’s been a hard-hat and lunch pail approach in these first three games. Force turnovers. Hunt the best shot. Focus defensively on the opponent’s top guys. Block another Trey Murphy III dunk attempt. Listen to the Coach of the Year. Rinse and repeat. Oklahoma City had a plan heading into this series and are executing it flawlessly. Any deviation from this norm could prove to be detrimental.
Watch out for shenanigans – The Pelicans will be in desperation mode. The refs, in an effort to see this series extended, may either allow more than usual contact or may have a quick whistle. Either way, the Thunder will have to be smart about how they defend and will need to keep their cool, which will eventually be tested.
Congratulations to the Coach of the Year, Mark Daigneault. – MVP next???
The Ultimate Disrespect – If you are wondering why the Thunder shunned Allie LaForce on the TNT post-game interview after Game 3 in favor of Nick Gallo, look no further than to what is happening tonight. The game tonight will be televised on NBATV….only if you have NBATV and only if you live outside of the OKC and New Orleans viewing area. Unfortunately, if you live in the OKC and NO viewing area and have NBATV, you will be blacked out from watching the game unless you have Bally Sports. If you are blacked out and chose not to get Bally Sports (such as myself), you will have to either illegally stream the game or watch it on a gamecast. This is so wrong, on so many levels. But, hey, we’ll remember that the next time you want to interview the guys and Nick Gallo is standing there waiting.

Thunder vs. Pelicans – Game 3 Adjustments

Posted on April 26, 2024 by Alex Roig

Series: OKC leads 2-0
When: Saturday, 27 April 2024 at 2:30pm CST
Where: Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, LA
TV: TNT

Game 2 Notables

The Thunder’s starting line-up outscored the entire Pelicans team, 108-92, in Game 2.
Thunder forced 17 turnovers, while only coughing it up 8 times in Game 2.
Pelicans are shooting 26.7% from three in the series, so far. OKC is shooting 39.3% from three.

Game 3 Adjustments

Prepare for the zone – There was a point in the 2nd quarter of Game 2 where the Pelicans were looking for something to get them back in the game and deployed a zone. The zone has given the Thunder fits all season and it allowed the Pelicans to cut an 18-point lead to single digits. The Thunder adjusted by putting Shai Gilgeous-Alexander at the top of the key and allowing him to hunt for avenues to get into the teeth of the defense. After a couple successful trips down the floor, the Pelicans reverted back to their more traditional defense and the zone wasn’t deployed again. With that said, you can bet the Pelicans will look at film and try to explore ways to successfully deploy the zone again.
Survive the initial onslaught – First road game for this team in the playoffs. There are bound to be nerves. It is almost inevitable that the Pelicans will get out to a quick start in either one or both of these next two games. Lucky for the Thunder, they’ve done the whole “get down early and eventually come back” thing throughout the entire season.
Adjust to the referees – The refs shouldn’t be affected by what players and coaches say after games. But refs are humans and they do watch games and replays after games. Did the Thunder flop on every one of the 8 offensive fouls that were called on the Pelicans in Game 2? No. Did they flop on some? (Kevin James with hands in pocket meme) I would bet my house the Pelicans don’t get called for 8 offensive fouls in a game the rest of the series. I would also bet something of value, but not as much as my house, that OKC will get hit with a flopping call sometime in these next couple of games.
Trey Murphy III – They say the 3-point shot is the great equalizer in basketball. For the Pelicans to have any chance in this series, they are going to have to find a way to get Murphy III more clean looks from three. That is what the Thunder have to prevent in New Orleans. Game 1 showed that New Orleans could “hang” with the Thunder if Murphy is being a threat. But in game 2, with Murphy completed muted, the Thunder were able to play a lot more freely defensively and blow the Pelicans out.

Western Conference Play-In Preview

Posted on April 16, 2024 by Alex Roig

Last season, the play-in tournament had huge significance for the Oklahoma City Thunder because they were in it. The 40-42 Thunder went into the play-in as the 10th seed, facing the New Orleans Pelicans in the 9/10 match-up. The good guys won a close game, 123-118, as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey, and Lu Dort combined to score 90 points. Next up, they faced the loser of the 7/8 match-up, the Minnesota Timberwolves. The size of Minnesota overwhelmed the Thunder and they bowed out of the tournament after a 120-95 loss.

Fast forward nearly a year later, and the play-in tournament this season still has huge significance for the Thunder…but for different reasons. Instead of being participants, the Thunder are now at the top of the West, waiting to see who they will face in the first round. Here’s a look at the two play-in games and how the teams in them match-up against themselves.

Game 1 (7/8 match-up) – Los Angeles Lakers vs. New Orleans Pelicans

When: Tuesday, 16 April 2024 at 6:30pm CST
Where: Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, LA

Season Series: Lakers won the season series 3-1

Dec. 7th – 133-89 (Los Angeles)
Dec. 31st – 129-109 (New Orleans)
Feb. 9th – 139-122 (Los Angeles)
Apr. 14th – 124-118 (Los Angeles)

The Set-Up

It may not seem like it, but this match-up has been brewing for a while now. If you remember back to the In-Season Tournament semi-finals in December, LeBron James and the Lakers completely embarrassed Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans. The reactions after this game were peak “does Zion even care?” and “does Zion want to play in New Orleans?”. Since that game, though, Williamson has taken it upon himself to get into better shape and to add more wrinkles to his game (point Zion). The Pelicans put together a good run in the second half of the season, but fell apart a little at the end due to Brandon Ingram’s injury. Ingram returned for the season finale against the Lakers, but the Pelicans lost and they plummeted to the 7th seed behind Phoenix.

Game 2 (9/10 match-up) – Golden State Warriors vs. Sacramento Kings

When: Tuesday, 16 April 2024 at 9:00pm CST
Where: Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, CA

Season Series: Series tied 2-2, but Sacramento won the tie-breaker due to a better division record

Oct. 27th – 122-114 (Golden State)
Nov. 1st – 102-101 (Golden State)
Nov. 28th – 124-123 (Sacramento)
Jan. 25th – 134-133 (Sacramento)

The Set-Up

The NBA has to be salivating with these West play-in games. Not only did the Warriors and Kings match-up in one of the more memorable series in last season’s playoffs, but they’ve also had 3 consecutive meetings this year decided by one point. This game is literally “win or go home”. Does this game put the final nail in the Warriors’ coffin? Or does Sacramento go into an offseason with a plethora of questions after seemingly being on the path to contention? Whatever the result, it definitely makes for must-see TV. You can bet the Thunder will be watching.

Dallas Mavericks vs. Thunder preview (Game 82 of 82)

Posted on April 14, 2024 by Alex Roig

Dallas Mavericks (50-31, 5th in the West) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (56-25, 1st in the West)

When: Sunday, 14 April 2024 at 2:30pm CST

Where: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK

Offensive Rating – DAL: 117.4 (7th) / OKC: 118.2 (4th)

Defensive Rating – DAL: 114.7 (16th) / OKC: 111.4 (4th)

Net Rating – DAL: 2.7 (11th) / OKC: 6.8 (2nd)

The Set-Up

In a recent interview, Thunder head coach talked about the team’s philosophy on sustained success as “stringing days together”. To start each day with a 0-0 mentality and go from there. That type of thinking has permeated through the entire team and this is where they find themselves: on the brink of being the No. 1 seed in the West. If for nothing else, that should make coach Daigneault the Coach of the Year this season.

This is the fourth and final regular season meeting between these two teams. The Thunder currently lead the season series 2-1.

Betting Info

Line: OKC -19.5

O/U: 225

Injury Report

OKC

None

DAL

Greg Brown III – OUT

Luka Doncic – OUT

Dante Exum – OUT

Daniel Gafford – OUT

Kyrie Irving – OUT

Derrick Jones Jr. – OUT

Maxi Kleber – OUT

Dereck Lively II – OUT

P.J. Washington – OUT

Three Big Things

1. Stay Healthy – The most important thing heading into the playoffs is health. DON’T GET HURT!
Scoreboard Watching – The only way we get screwed over is if Denver loses. If we win and Denver wins, the Thunder end up at one. Supposedly, Denver is looking to play most of their guys. So we shall see.
Reflective – Be proud of our guys. This young team has played with a maturity beyond their years. Hopefully, great things incoming for this team.
Happy birthday, J-Dub!!!!

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

Posted on April 12, 2024 by Alex Roig

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

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.
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.
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.

Episode 32 – A Disappointing Finale

Posted on May 6, 2018 by Alex Roig

On Episode 32 of the NTTB podcast, we discuss the following topics:

A Review of Games 5 and 6
Disappointing season
Exit Interview
Melo drawing a line in the sand
Paul George saying all the right things
Billy Donovan back for next season
Sam Presti Exit Interview
Looking at the rest of the playoff series

Intro/Outro music provided by OSC Productions

Thank you for listening. We will be doing a podcast once a week. If you have any Thunder or NBA related questions, make sure you hit us up on Twitter (@alexroig_NTTB or @Montero_A13).

We are on ITunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, and Tune In under the NTTB Podcast. Make sure you leave us a 5-star review if you can. As always, Thunder Up!