OKC Thunder Preview: Sometimes You Eat the Bear…
By David Ramil
Early Rumblings is your ultimate OKC Thunder preview for tonight’s game. Back-to-back wins have Oklahoma City back over .500 but they face a much more difficult challenge on Wednesday. Wins over the depleted Clippers and a struggling Nuggets team are one thing, but knocking off one of the top teams in the Western Conference is a whole different story. Can Kendrick Perkins find a way to limit All-Star Marc Gasol? And will Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook be able to score against the defensive-minded Grizzlies?
Memphis Grizzlies (39-13) @ Oklahoma City Thunder (27-25)
7 p.m. CST – Wednesday, February 11, 2015, Chesapeake Energy Arena
Broadcast on Fox Sports, NBA League Pass
| STARTING LINEUP: OKC | STARTING LINEUP: MEM | ||
| Russell Westbrook | G | Mike Conley, Jr. | G |
| Andre Roberson | G | Courtney Lee | G |
| Kevin Durant | F | Jeff Green | F |
| Serge Ibaka | F | Zach Randolph | F |
| Kendrick Perkins | C | Marc Gasol | C |
Key Reserves
OKC Thunder: Dion Waiters, Reggie Jackson, Anthony Morrow, Nick Collison, Mitch McGary
Memphis Grizzlies: Tony Allen, Beno Udrih, Kosta Koufos, Nick Calathes, Jon Leuer
Storm Alert – What to Look For in Today’s Game
Biggest story: In the cult-classic film, “The Big Lebowski,” the title character sits in a bowling alley when a mysterious stranger drops by with a little wisdom like this particular nugget:
Often mistakenly (as in the video’s name, above) understood as “bar”, the stranger actually says, “Sometimes you eat the bear, and sometimes the bear eats you,” an awesome way of saying you win some, you lose some. Well, the bear’s already eaten the Thunder twice this season, at a time when the team was missing superstars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook and capping off a tough stretch after the team was last at two games over .500 and then lost four of their next five games. OKC is feeling really good about themselves right now but proving it against a team that controls the pace as well as Memphis is crucial before going into a prolonged All-Star break.
Best matchup: The last time these teams faced off (a 85-74 sludgefest on January 31), Marc Gasol was limited by Steven Adams into 15 points off 5-of-14 shooting. Gasol, the All-Star, still chipped in 12 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals. With Adams out, the question becomes whether Kendrick Perkins can use his strength and bulk to (somewhat) check Gasol. Adams’ injury thins a front court that has to also face Zach Randolph, back from injury and playing well. Memphis’ reserve tandem of Koufos and Leuer get heavy minutes, also, so watching how Nick Collision and rookie sensation Mitch McGary match up defensively should be worth watching as well.
Why you should watch: I can’t overstate how much this game means in terms of the Thunder’s continued development this season. People will say, “Well, it’s only one game…” but, with just 30 games left in the regular season, that attitude will keep OKC out of the playoffs. They may not admit it publicly but this game is a defining point of the season. A victory tonight would mean a 3-game win streak going into the All-Star break, a little breathing room for the late-season push, and a confidence boost for a team that has looked in disarray at certain points this year. Simply, it’s a must-win.
Current trend: The Grizzlies have won 15 of their past 17 games…in a classic battle of defense versus offense, Memphis allows a league-low 95.6 points and is giving up 86.5 over a 10-1 stretch. Conversely, the Thunder are averaging 114.8 points on 50.6 percent shooting in five games this month…if you think the Griz are complacent with their current record, think again. The want to build on it before the break and are determined to do it at OKC, as Tony Allen told reporters (via ESPN.com):
"“We’ve got a chance to get 40 wins. It would be big for us and our momentum. We want to keep that going obviously and just finish the break off right. We know we’re going into a hostile environment. That team is thirsty for wins right now.”"
History pattern: Durant averages 28 points per game versus Memphis in his career but shoots only 26.8 percent from 3-point range, the lowest average against any team…Conley’s 40.9 career field goal rate against the Thunder is tied for his second-lowest average against any team…Randolph averages 20.6 PPG in 23 career games versus OKC, the highest average against any team…OKC has won eight of its last nine games at the ‘Peake, but have dropped three of four when hosting Memphis.
Check back with Thunderous Intentions for a full recap, post-game grades, analysis and more.