OKC Thunder vs Jazz pregame news and injury update – Adams is back!

Great news for the OKC Thunder as Steven Adams returns to play versus the Jazz and will be back in the starting lineup.

It did seem like a well guarded secret that Steven Adams would play given there was no reason for him to travel with the OKC Thunder to Utah if he wasn’t going to play. This afternoon confirmation he would play came via Steve McGehee:

This means Adams would have passed the onerous NBA Concussion Protocol Testing. Meaning he passed each stage without showing any lingering effects from the concussion.

The OKC Thunder sure missed his presence on the court specifically on the defensive end and will undoubtedly need him tonight to match up versus Rudy Gobert.

All Stars:

As outlined in the full pregame analysis, the Jazz are one of the few teams Russell Westbrook hasn’t recorded a triple-double against. Westbrook will attempt to scratch them off his diminishing short list of teams to garner his 22nd trip-dub of the season. The next triple-double registered by Westbrook will tie Larry Bird with 59 all-time and rank him fifth behind Oscar Robertson (181), Magic Johnson (138), Jason Kidd (107), Wilt Chamberlain 78).

It’s likely two players from this game will be named to the All-Star reserve list this Thursday. Obviously Westbrook will be one, and the second is likely to be Gordon Hayward. Though there is a case to be made for George Hill who makes a massive difference for the Jazz when healthy.

With Hill back from his second injury stint the Jazz have yet to lose posting a 6-0 record. In fact the Jazz have only lost 4 times with Hill in the lineup. His 21 games will likely keep him out of the All-Star Game, but his presence makes the Jazz a better all around team.

Related: Where does Westbrook not starting in the ASG rank among historical snubs?

Winning could pay immediate dividends:

With Chris Paul out the Clippers are in tough given their upcoming schedule. To wit the Clips play 12 out of their next 15 games versus teams currently over .500 and 10 out of 12 on the road.  To say the Clippers are ripe to knocked out of the home court seeding would be an understatement.  Tonight they play the Hawks who have been on fire of late. A loss by the Clippers and a win by the Jazz would move them into fourth with a coveted home court seed.

Conversely, the OKC Thunder who sit sixth need the win to keep pace with the Jazz who sit 3.5 games ahead of them. The Jazz have 4 additional wins and 3 fewer losses than the Thunder. In addition the Thunder are tied with the Grizzlies, but have played 2 fewer games than Memphis who are inactive tonight. A victory by the Thunder would serve many purposes as it would cut the loss deficit to two and win deficit to 3 versus the Jazz who also have played one more game than OKC.

Kanter Returns for more boos:

Another key to the game will be Enes Kanter overcoming the major Jazz crowd angst who consistently boo Kanter every time he returns to Vivant Smart Home Arena. Although OKC Thunder fans have become accustomed to Kanter’s sweet, comical side there does exist a more contentious side to him.

When he exited Utah it was not under great terms and Kanter was vocal about the parting. Jazz fans haven’t forgiven him and he’ll undoubtedly hear from them again tonight.

Other injury notes:

As suspected Rodney Hood remains out for the Jazz following his hyper extended knee injury:

Given that news expect the starting lineups to feature Adams back in for the Thunder and likely Joe Ingles in for Hood.

Oklahoma City Thunder Starters:

Point Guard:  Russell Westbrook – 30.6 points,  10.4 assists, 10.6 rebounds
Shooting Guard:  Victor Oladipo– 16.2 points, 2.7 assists,  4.2 rebounds
Small Forward:  Andre Roberson – 6.7 points, 1.0 assists,  4.6 rebounds, 1.2 steals, 1.0 blocks
Power Forward: Domantas Sabonis – 6.1 points, 1.2 assists, 3.5 rebounds
Center:  Steven Adams– 12.0 points,  7.5 rebounds, 1.1 assists,1.2 steals,

OKC Thunder Reserves:

Point Guard: Cameron Payne
Shooting Guard: Alex Abrines Anthony Morrow
Small Forward: (Jerami Grant), Kyle Singler,
Power Forward: Nick Collison
Center: Enes Kanter,  Joffrey Lauvergne

Notes:

• Semaj Christon and Josh Huestis are with the D-League affiliate Blues squad
• Rookie Joel Bolomboy is in Toronto at D-League showcase with the Jazz D-League squad.

Must Read: Five Shooters the Thunder Should Target

Utah Jazz Starters :

Point Guard:  George Hill– 18.4 points, 4.1 assists, 3.8 rebounds
Shooting Guard: Joe Ingles – 6.5 points,  2.3 assists, 2.6 rebounds
Small Forward: Gordon Hayward – 22.2 points, 3.5 assists,  5.7 rebounds
Power Forward: Derrick Favors– 9.0 points, 1.0 assists,  5.9 rebounds
Center: Rudy Gobert – 12.9 points 12.7 rebounds 2.5 blocks

Utah Jazz Reserves:

Point Guard: Dante Exum, Raul Neto, Shelvin Mack
Shooting Guard: Alec Burks
Small Forward: Joe Johnson
Power Forward: Trey Lyles
Center: Boris Diaw, Jeff Withey

Other Game Specifics:

The line: Odds makers have the Jazz favored by 5.5 points. Which means they give Utah about a 2 or 3 point edge given most home teams get an automatic 2 or 3 point courtesy edge for the home crowd and calls. The over-under is 203.5 points which seems a little high given the Jazz will look to grind the pace to a stand still.

More from Thunderous Intentions

• Stealing one player from every Southwest Division team for the OKC Thunder
• Should the OKC Thunder chase after a disgruntled hometown hero?
• 3 OKC Thunder players who can step up in Aleksej Pokusevski’s absence
• Aleksej Pokusevski sidelined approximately 6 weeks with ankle injury
• Damian Lillard does not fit with the OKC Thunder

Referees: Monty McCutchen (#13), Brett Nansel (#44), and Kevin Scott (#28)

Recent History:  In recent history the Thunder had won 4 in a row prior to losing the last game and are 6-2 in the past 8 games. Obviously the revamped lineups each team features offers an advantage to the Jazz with their added depth.

The Venue: Vivint Smart Home Arena, Salt Lake City, Utah

The Tip: 8:00 PM CT (9:00 PM ET)

TV: FS Oklahoma HD

Radio: WWLS 98.1FM OKC / 930AM (ESP)

Full Game Preview: To get fully prepped for tonight’s tip-off check out my full pregame analysis which provides all the particulars and keys to winning.

On Tap this Week: The next game for the Thunder will find them traveling to New Orleans to play the improved Pelicans on Wednesday prior to returning home for a rare home date this month. Unfortunately it comes via a back to back versus the Mavericks. The OKC Thunder will then finish the week playing the reigning champion Cavaliers in Cleveland on Sunday in a matinee match.

After the game return to Thunderous Intentions where we’ll have a full game roundup of the action. Make sure to come check it out and offer your thoughts on the game in the comment section