Thunder @ Atlanta Hawks preview (Game 33 of 82)

Posted on January 3, 2024 by Alex Roig

Oklahoma City Thunder (23-9, 2nd in the West) @ Atlanta Hawks (13-19, 11th in the East)
When: Wednesday, 03 January 2024 at 6:30 pm CST
Where: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA
Offensive Rating – ATL: 119.1 (6th) / OKC: 119.2 (5th)
Defensive Rating – ATL: 119.7 (27th) / OKC: 110.7 (3rd)
Net Rating – ATL: -0.6 (19th) / OKC: 8.5 (3rd)

The Set-Up

There was a time several years ago, where, if you asked the question “Who would you rather have? Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or Trae Young” and you didn’t answer “Trae Young”, you’d be viewed as some sort of pariah. Fast forward to today, you would be seen as a madman if you picked Trae Young as your answer. The evolution of SGA as a player over the last couple of years has been a marvel to watch. This was not the player that people thought SGA would become when he was drafted. He didn’t have a National Player of the Year season at Kentucky like Young did. He didn’t have the hype that Young did. The draft position that Young did. But he has worked on his craft and has used the physical skills allotted to him to become the player you now see. A consistent and efficient 30-point scorer that affects the game on both ends of the court. Not only has SGA surpassed Trae Young, but he may have lapped him a couple of times in the process.

This is the second meeting of the year between these two teams. The Thunder won the first meeting in early November, 126-117.

Betting Info

Line: OKC -1.5
O/U: 248.5

Injury Report

OKC

None

ATL

Mouhamed Gueye (back) – OUT
De’Andre Hunter (knee) – OUT
Seth Lundy (ankle) – Questionable

Three Big Things

Trap Game Potential – Over the past week, the Thunder have beat the Western Conference’s 1st place and 3rd place teams and the Eastern Conference’s 1st place team. Now they are playing the 11th ranked team in the East. A team they’ve already beat earlier this season. And I am honestly more worried about this game than any of those other games. The Hawks are a desperate bunch. They do not see themselves as a 13-19 team. And they can score in droves. A bad shooting night by the Thunder or a poor defensive game and they could get caught by surprise.
Track Meet – These are two of the highest scoring offenses in the league right now. They rank 3rd and 4th in points scored per game and are only separated by 0.7 points. A lot like Boston, the Hawks also like to hoist up a lot of 3’s (38.7 attempts per game, 6th in the league) and are the 2nd best offensive rebounding team in the league. The Thunder, meanwhile are the best 3-point shooting team in the league and are 3rd in effective field goal percentage and true shooting percentage. The could definitely be a barn burner tonight.
Attack the paint – The Hawks aren’t great defensively, but they definitely struggle in protecting the paint. The Hawks rank 24th in blocks per game and 27th in points allowed in the paint. That is one of the areas where the Thunder excels.

Atlanta Hawks vs. Thunder preview (Game 7 of 82)

Posted on November 6, 2023 by okctopicthunder

Atlanta Hawks (4-2) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (3-3)
When: Monday, 06 November 2023 at 7:00pm CST
Where: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK
Offensive Rating – ATL: 119.3 (3rd) / OKC: 113.2 (10th)
Defensive Rating – ATL: 111.8 (19th) / OKC: 114.4 (21st)
Net Rating – ATL: 7.4 (6th) / OKC: -1.2 (15th)

The Set-Up

Perspective. We could be 5-1. The Pelicans and Warriors games both came down to the final possession. A change of a call here, a different outcome of a play there, and the Thunder come out victorious. We could also be 2-4. Those final possession games plus the game in Cleveland could have all finished in different ways for the Thunder. But alas, we currently sit at 3-3 and, honestly, it feels about right.

Offensively, the Thunder seems to be right where it needs to be at 10th. They love the transition game and have an improving half-court game. But defensively, is where I thought the Thunder would make their mark. When healthy last season, they were a top-10 defensive team, if not higher. With the addition of Chet Holmgren and Cason Wallace, it was thought that this would catapult the team into at least a consistent top-10 outfit. But they currently stand at 21st. If the Thunder are going to improve their record, it’s got to start on the defensive end of the floor.

Injury Report

OKC

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (knee) – Questionable
Kenrich Williams (back)

ATL

Kobe Bufkin (thumb)
Wesley Matthews (calf)

Three Big Things

Trae Young – Oklahoma doesn’t lay claim to many basketball greats, but since the Thunder have been in town, Trae Young and Blake Griffin have been the top basketball players associated with Oklahoma that don’t wear Thunder jerseys. While Griffin’s time in basketball appears to be nearing an end, Trae’s prime is likely just beginning. Currently averaging 21.7 points and 10.3 assists, Young is the head of what has been an offensive juggernaut here to begin the season. The Hawks boast nine players averaging double figures and are second in the league in points per game at 122.8. Many fans will cheer for Young at the beginning of the game, but may change their tune as the game continues.
Very Similar – In doing my research for this game, I noticed that the Thunder and Hawks were very similar, in terms of stats. They are 1st and 2nd in the league in percentage of field goals from the mid-range. They are 4th and 5th in pace, true shooting percentage, and field goal percentage. They are 1st and 3rd in free throw percentage. They are 15th and 16th in number of possessions.
Rebounding – Where these two teams deviate heavily is on the boards. By all stats, Atlanta is one of the top rebounding teams in the league and OKC is one of the league’s worst. It has actually cost the Thunder some games this season and should be a point of emphasis for the team moving forward.

Thunder At A Glance – 30 November 2018

Posted on November 30, 2018 by Alex Roig

Erik Horne (NewsOK) on the continued rehabilitation of Andre Roberson: “But Thursday had some of the most promising displays from Roberson in the Thunder’s post-practice sessions the media is allowed to witness. In the past month, the Thunder staff has ramped up Roberson’s conditioning drills in the non-contact, post-practice sessions, often with Donovan and general manager Sam Presti watching intently.”

Erik Horne (NewsOK) on Patrick Patterson holding a film festival for students in Oklahoma: “Patterson is teaming up with the deadCenter Film Festival to judge a movie contest for students around the state of Oklahoma. In Patterson’s “Pat Presents Oklahoma Student Film Contest,” Patterson will judge high school and college student produced short film submissions. The contest is open to all students currently enrolled in an Oklahoma high school, tech center, college or university.” Continue reading →

Thunder At A Glance – 08 October 2018

Posted on October 8, 2018 by Alex Roig

Check out the 2nd episode of The Weekly through the Topic: Thunder Podcast. We talked about the first two preseason games, injury updates, and previewed the Northwest Division. You can subscribe for the podcast wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Nick Gallo (OKCThunder.com) on the energy shown by the Thunder in their win against the Atlanta Hawks: “Rookie Hamidou Diallo again was impressive, utilizing his athleticism, tenacity and intelligence to make plays, garnering more minutes after starter Terrance Ferguson went down with concussion-like symptoms. Sure, as a 20-year old, Diallo will have moments like when he hesitated on a cut to the rim. But he made up for it by receiving the pass from a posted-up George and turning the corner quickly to attack the rim to draw a foul. Diallo was aggressive on the glass in keeping loose balls alive and finished both at the rim and at the charity stripe as he chipped in 13 points and 5 rebounds.” Continue reading →