10 Key Games on the Oklahoma City Thunder Schedule

Feb 20, 2014; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder point guard

(0) attempts a shot against Miami Heat center

(1) during the fourth quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Miami Heat at Oklahoma City

DATE: Sunday, January 17, 2016

TIME: 6 p.m. CST

BROADCAST INFO: FOX Sports – Oklahoma

LAST SEASON’S RECORD VS. OPPONENT: 2-0

What can you make of the Miami Heat? With the exception of the Thunder, perhaps no team was racked by injury as much as Miami. They lost Josh McRoberts to start the year and had Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Luol Deng all miss time throughout the season; couple that with the loss of LeBron James the previous offseason and you can see why they missed the playoffs.

But Bosh, Wade and Co. are at full strength and they’ve added Goran Dragic, the speedy guard formerly of Phoenix, who they acquired via mid-season trade. With a healthy roster and a full offseason of developing chemistry, you can see why many consider them a possible threat to Cleveland’s dominance. It’s also worth watching Hassan Whiteside to see if he continues his unexpected growth this season. Whiteside put up historically great numbers last year after struggling to find a place in the NBA for his first three seasons.

Then again, if injuries limit Wade’s effectiveness, this could be a group that struggles to find its identity throughout the season.

This isn’t the team that faced OKC in the 2012 Finals but they could be very dangerous in their own right. This will be their own stop at the ‘Peake this season, so it’s definitely a game you have to watch.

WATCHABILITY FACTOR: 9 out of 10

Next: Checking Out the Champs