Preview: OKC Thunder seek road win versus Toronto Raptors

Mar 13, 2017; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors forward Serge Ibaka (9) makes a pass in the second half of a 100-78 win over Dallas Mavericks at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports /

Game Day previews the OKC Thunder match versus the Toronto Raptors.

Road victories have been hard for the OKC Thunder to come by this season. Fresh off a solid victory over the Nets they’ll look to build upon that effort.

In their previous meeting at Chesapeake on November 9th the Raptors handled Russell Westbrook about as good as any team has this season. Yet, entering tonight’s contest several factors have changed since that meeting.

Raptors All-Star Kyle Lowry is out having undergone surgery to his wrist to clear debris. In his absence Toronto has struggled to find their offense, especially with teams double and triple teaming DeRozan.

More specifically, both sides have different rosters who’ll take to the court. OKC Thunder feature trade deadline additions Taj Gibson and Doug McDermott as well as free agent signing Norris Cole. On the Toronto side they’ll trot out a familiar foe in Serge Ibaka as well as P.J.Tucker. Hence, both players added value to the team from the 6ix. Furthermore, in the last outing Jonas Valanciunas didn’t play (nor did Terrence Ross who was traded for Ibaka) and Delon Wright wasn’t back from injury yet.

Despite their short handed squad the Raptors won by ten points in a game which was far more one sided then the final score would indicate.

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Feb 19, 2017; New Orleans, LA, USA; Eastern Conference guard Kyle Lowry of the Toronto Raptors (7) talks with Western Conference guard Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder (0) in the 2017 NBA All-Star Game at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /

Defense Wins Championships:

In their first meeting the OKC Thunder had one of the best defensive units in the Association while the Raptors were on a record breaking offensive pace. Flash forward 4 months and the story lines are significantly different.

Isolating the defense since the All-Star break the Thunder have fallen from a top 10 berth to18th. Conversely, despite the loss of their best on-off court teammate (Lowry) the Raptors have vaulted up the ladder posting the 8th best defense in this period. As Ibaka and Tucker assimilate to their new squad the Raptors continue to improve. As a result, over the past 5 games Toronto rank second defensively in the Association.

And while the Thunder have climbed up the standings the Raptors are clawing to stay a home court seed with the view of regaining one of the seeds which will afford them the opportunity to avoid the Cavaliers until the Conference Finals.

Feb 24, 2017; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Most noteworthy, Toronto Raptors guard Norman Powell (24) dribbles against the Boston Celtics at Air Canada Centre. As a result, the Raptors beat the Celtics 107-97. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports /

Depth:

While both squads have suffered offensively, the Raptors recent struggles can be tied to the loss of Lowry, new player acclimation, and injuries to key contributors. The other contributing factor is the additional minutes being dispersed to Raptors youngsters Norman Powell and Delon Wright. Off court these two are similar to DeRozan and Lowry in both their demeanor and friendship. Although they’ve struggled to find consistency, clearly they have what it takes to be solid 2-way players.

Patrick Patterson appears to be rounding back into form after missing 16 games. Coach Duane Casey often refers to Patterson as his sixth starter because of his defensive prowess and three point shooting. And, while Patterson struggled over his first few games back it’s not dissimilar to the how he begins each season.

Going up and down the roster Toronto is two and three players deep at each position. Even players at the end of the bench have played in relevant games contributing and gaining valuable experience. To that end, Toronto’s two rookies started in the game in OKC.

Feb 28, 2017; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Doug McDermott (25) and Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) celebrate against the Utah Jazz during the second quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /

Ex Bulls licking their chops:

It’s no secret the one team Toronto has consistently had issues with is the Chicago Bulls who routinely find ways to beat them. This is good news for the Thunder as McDermott has showcased some of his best performances versus the Raptors.

Prior to getting too excited, OKC Thunder fans should recall Serge Ibaka will be amped up for a big showing against his former team. During his first meeting against the Thunder, Ibaka scored 31 points, grabbed 9 rebounds and blocked 4 shots.

In the last two outings versus Toronto, McDermott posted stats of 20 points with 5 rebounds and 17 points with 10 rebounds. Let’s see if the Bulls wizardry over the Raptors continues for McDermott while sporting an OKC Thunder jersey

Mar 11, 2017; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) reacts after hitting a 2 point shot against the Utah Jazz during the second quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /

Triple-Double Watch:

Westbrook claimed his 33rd triple-double against the Nets with a powerhouse 25 point, 17 assist, 12 rebound effort. He was so spectacular the usually volatile Brooklyn fans gave him a standing ovation. With this accomplishment Westbrook needs 8 more triple-doubles to match Oscar Robertson’s 41 achieved in 1961-62.

The only teams Westbrook hasn’t produced a triple-double against is Charlotte Hornets and Chicago Bulls.

On the season Westbrook is averaging 31.8 points, 10.6 rebounds and 10.3 assists. To reiterate a common statement in this column Westbrook tends to up the ante when he dips perilously close to falling below his triple-double average. His 17 assist, 12 rebound effort versus the Nets is a perfect example of this.

With 15 games remaining this season Westbrook needs to average 8.8 assists (total 132) and 7.5 rebounds (total 113). With several lottery teams on tap, his quest to march into history seems inevitable.

Keys To Win:

Bench unit:

Post trade deadline the Raptors boast arguably the deepest most versatile reserve unit in the NBA. Especially relevant is rookies Jakob Poeltl, Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet have all gained valuable experience this season with each getting the starting nod at some point. Additionally, Powell and Wright are 2-way players who are being groomed for the eventual replacements to DeRozan and Loowry.

Counter Raptors Defense:

As per above, the Raptors have been thriving on the defensive end since the trade additions and post break. During that period the Raptors have played five of the top ten defenses beating the Celtics, Pelicans and Mavericks , lost a close one to the Hawks and got blown out in Miami on the last game of a 5-game road trip and their third game in four nights.

Toronto also played post break top ten offenses of Portland, Washington, Miami (and Charlotte if you count the game just prior to the break) winning all but the aforementioned game versus the Heat.

Suffice to say this Raptors squad hasn’t been getting the respect from pundits they deserve.

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Nov 9, 2016; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Toronto Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan (10) drives to the basket in front of Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jerami Grant (9) during the second quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /

DeRozan versus Westbrook:

In the last meeting DeRozan scored 37 points, grabbed 4 rebounds and dished 6 assists. Albeit Kyle Lowry was healthy and was arguably the best guard on the court falling one rebound shy of a triple-double. Andre Roberson kept DeRozan in check early but the shooting guard solved the mystery in the second half. Without Lowry teams have put more emphasis on DeRozan, but after two full days of practice with Ibaka and Tucker the Raptors may have figured out some offensive counters.

Westbrook scored 36 points, grabbed 7 boards and dished 7 assists. The Thunder will be up against a tough team to beat at home. Russell Westbrook specifically will see lots of different defenders with Cory Joseph, Norman Powell, DeMarre Carroll (if active), P.J. Tucker and Delon Wright all likely getting minutes guarding him.

As a result, the backcourt star who integrates their squad offensively will likely get the win.

Nov 9, 2016; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) handles the ball in front of Toronto Raptors guard Norman Powell (24) during the third quarter while at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /

Keep Eyes On Prize:

The fourth seeded Raptors sit 2 games back of the Wizards (2.5 of the Celtics) while holding a 2-game cushion on the Hawks. Toronto owns the tie-break versus the Celts and Wizards while the Hawks owning the tie-break against the Raptors.

Meanwhile, the sixth seeded Thunder are 1.5 games back of the Clippers and hold a half game edge over the Clippers. OKC are up 2-1 in the Memphis series with a game remaining while they split the season series with the Clippers. Based on the tie-break rules (as of the records today) if OKC were to tie either squad they would win the tie break over LA, but lose to the Grizzlies. With playoff seeding at stake this is a huge game for both teams.

Presumed OKC Thunder Starters:

Point Guard: Russell Westbrook
Shooting Guard: Victor Oladipo
Small Forward: Andre Roberson
Power Forward: Taj Gibson
Center: Steven Adams

OKC Thunder Reserves:

Guards: Norris Cole, Semaj Christon
Wings: Doug McDermott, Alex Abrines, Jerami Grant, Kyle Singler, Josh Huestis
Bigs: Enes Kanter, Domantas Sabonis, Nick Collison

No Injuries

Nov 9, 2016; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Toronto Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan (10) drives to the basket in front of Oklahoma City Thunder guard Andre Roberson (21) during the first quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /

Presumed Toronto Raptors Starters:

Point Guard: Cory Joseph
Shooting Guard: DeMar DeRozan
Small Forward: (DeMarre Carroll), Norman Powell
Power Forward: Serge Ibaka
Center: Jonas Valanciunas

Injured:

Kyle Lowry met with doctors who completed his surgery yesterday to assess the progress he is making. Key to the Raptors going deep in the playoffs is Lowry’s return.
DeMarre Carroll practiced with the team yesterday, but is coming off an injured ankle. He returned to play in the Hawks game, aggravating the injury and subsequently missed the next two games versus the Heat and Mavericks.

Toronto Reserves:

Point Guards: Delon Wright, Fred VanVleet
Shooting Guard: *Norman Powell, PJ Tucker
Small Forward: P.J. Tucker, **Bruno Caboclo
Power Forward: Patrick Patterson, **Pascal Siakam
Center: Jakob Poeltl, Lucas Nogueira
* If Carroll remains out Powell is likely to get the start nod unless Dwane Casey elects to go bigger utilizing Tucker instead.
** Siakam and Caboclo were assigned to teh D-League, but the 905 is a half hour drive from the ACC so will likely be back on the bench for this game.

Venue:

Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Radio and Television Providers:

TV In Oklahoma City and Area: FS Oklahoma HD, and ROOT in Utah

Worldwide: NBA League Pass

Radio: WWLS 98.1FM OKC / 930AM (ESP) and KZNS in Utah

Game Time:

6:00 PM CT and 7:00 PM EST

The Line:

The odds makers open with Toronto favored by 2.5 points which in essence is a wash given home teams receive a two to three point advantage. Somewhat of an strange choice given the Thunders road struggles, but hey I’m not an odds maker. The over-under is opened at 208 points.

Referee Assignments:

Marc Davis (8), Mitchell Ervin (27) and Josh Tiven (58) are the official crew who’ll referee the game tonight.

Next Up:

Following tonight’s game the OKC Thunder return home for a 3-game stint versus the Sacramento Kings, Golden State Warriors and Philadelphia 76ers.

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