The Oklahoma City Thunder finish up a four game home stand when they host the Utah Jazz on Tuesday night.
Don’t look now, but the Oklahoma City Thunder are only three games out of being the fourth seed in the west. After a tumultuous offseason that saw our defensive anchor head to Orlando, the best player in the league head to Miami, that one guy go to that one place, and uncertainty surrounding Russell Westbrook; the Thunder could conceivably get home court in the first round.
To do so they need to beat the Utah Jazz, the current four seed, on Tuesday night.
The last time these two teams met, Westbrook did Westbrook things. He had another triple double and hit a silky smooth game-winning mid-range jumper. The first time these two teams met, the Jazz won by 20, but Victor Oladipo didn’t play and it was the second game of a back-to-back, so does it really count?
Oladipo’s status for Tuesday’s game is still uncertain. He’s missed the last two games with back spasms, but OKC is 2-0 thanks to replacement starter Alex Abrines.
Offense vs. Defense
Utah is the ultimate “good defense, bad offense” team. They rank first in point allowed per game (95.6) and 28th in points scored per game (100.4). Gordon Hayward is their leading scorer at 22.5 points per game. Andre Roberson held him to 17 points on 6-17 shooting in the last meeting. If Roberson can effectively lock-up Hayward again, the Utah offense may struggle for points.
The Thunder average 106.2 points for per game and 105.9 points against. Obviously, the offense centers around Westbrook. George Hill, a big and strong defender, will be tasked with guarding him. Truthfully, the only person who can guard Westbrook is Westbrook. If he’s being careless with the basketball, forcing shots, and making bad decisions then he’s pretty easy to defend. But if he’s attacking, getting his teammates involved, and keeping the defense guessing; then he’s downright impossible to defend.
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The Jazz are comprised of lengthy and athletic defenders who can disrupt any offense, but OKC as a team only had 10 turnovers (the same number as the Jazz) in their last meeting. If Westbrook is able to navigate through the defense and avoid the dreaded jump passes, the offense should be fine.
With more space to operate for Westbrook, expect him to try something like this again. Don’t think he’s forgotten about that finger wag.
New Thunder
Helping the offense will be new additions Doug McDermott and Taj Gibson. OKC has scored 110 and 118 points respectively in the two games since the trade deadline. Both games were against inferior competition (the Lakers and Pelicans), but an offense still has to click. McDermott, and the addition of Abrines to the starting lineup, has opened up the floor for Westbrook to maneuver. Gibson gives OKC another option in the low post and a guy who can knockdown shots on the pick and pop.
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As McDermott and Gibson practice and play more with the team, they’ll start to feel more comfortable. It’s obvious that they don’t know the offense all that well just yet. There was one play against the Pelicans where McDermott and Grant literally ran into each other on a designed play.
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Defensively, both guys look pretty comfortable. Gibson helped slow down Anthony Davis after the first quarter on Sunday and McDermott, while maybe not being a great defender, makes a lot of hustle plays. Their defense could be key for OKC against a Jazz team that struggles to score. If they help lead to just two or three extra stops a game, that’s two or three extra chances for OKC to add points on the board when the Jazz don’t.
Finish Strong
Tuesday’s game marks the end of a four game home stand where OKC is currently 3-0. It’d be foolish to call the home stand a failure based on one loss, but going 4-0 during the stretch, including a victory over a team currently above you in the standings, would be a statement.
After a rough January and an up-and-down February, OKC has a chance to end the month 7-4, which looked nearly impossible after they opened the month with a 28-point loss to the Bulls. OKC is 22-8 at home this year. That’s important to remember as they try to climb up to the fourth seed and get home court in the first round.
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This game is also important because even if they don’t get up to four, it’s possible they reach the fifth seed and see the Jazz in the first round. Remember, the Thunder have the weakest remaining schedule of the mid-tier Western conference teams. Winning this game ensures a season split against the Jazz and should give them a little bit of confidence should the two teams meet in the first round of the playoffs.
And if they lose, who cares about what happens in the regular season anyways?