Gameday Preview: OKC Thunder vs Wolves 'Somethings Gotta Give'

OKC Thunder bring a 3-game win streak into Minnesota to face the Wolves who are on their own 2-game win streak.

While Friday the 13th may conger frightening images, for the OKC Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves it offers a chance to extend current win streaks.

OKC Thunder specifically played what arguably was their most complete game of the season in the victory over Memphis. And, with a myriad of road games on tap in January, no doubt the Thunder are hoping to continue their winning ways versus the Timber Pups.

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Wolves on precipice of stepping up ladder:

As for those young Wolves they’ll attempt to do something that has eluded them to this point in the season by winning 3-games in a row. Minnesota continues to show signs of inching forward, but like a young colt are still wobbly at times. Inconsistency remains the Wolves greatest issue. Three quarters of offensive outbursts are often followed by one quarter or critical section of the game where the basket shrinks to a thimble.

There are also signs of what the Thibs defense will resemble once the Wolves learn to focus for longer portions of games. Certainly it’s easy to project this team ascending in the near future. To be fair, this writer thought the Wolves would take the step immediately based on the talent, Thibs head coach win percentage, and ability to teach defense. Unfortunately, I underestimated (or over estimated depending on how you view it), the lack of a veteran voice. To wit, the loss of Kevin Garnett, Tayshaun Prince and Kevin Martin collectively took a toll on and off the court.

And while I’ve been burnt by assuming the Wolves would take the leap at season start, I can’t help but be lured into the recent discernible signs they are close to taking the next step.

Case in point, In their past eight games:

3 of their 5 losses were decided by 2 points (Nuggets, Sixers, Jazz)
Played solid playoff teams down to the wire (Blazers, Jazz)
Convincingly beat two solid playoff squads:
- 116-99 over Bucks
- 119-105 over Rockets

Color my glasses rose, but apparently I’m still drinking from the half full glass and choose to stick with my initial instincts about this squad. Hey, with the 8-seed still up for grabs in the West and no team laying full claim to it, my tendency is to stick with my preseason dark horses (Wolves and Nuggets).

Must Read: The new Big Three in OKC – Shall We Dance?

Key Match-ups:

Ricky Rubio vs Russell Westbrook: In a recent game Karl-Anthony Towns was demonstrative in his dissatisfaction over Ricky Rubio missing a wide open shot. This pointed to two factors:

It showed KAT’s immaturity. You don’t do that to your vets, especially publicly and especially when you are still making copious in game errors of your own.
It also made me wonder how much respect Rubio elicits from his younger teammates.

Regardless of the two factors, Rubio is still leading the show at least through the first three quarters. The one major change in the point guard area is Thibs seems to be utilizing Wiggins as the primary ball handler late in games. Which may be more of a factor of Thibodeau’s trust level of Andrew Wiggins more than any dissatisfaction with Rubio or concern in trusting Dunn.

Regardless, of who finishes the game Westbrook has the major advantage, although he’s yet to record a triple-double against the Wolves in the two previous meetings this season.

Karl-Anthony Towns vs Steven Adams: Despite his above noted immaturity the youngster continues to grow into what will surely be an All-Star berth in the coming years. Adams will be tasked with slowing the youngster. Adams has showcased increased production on offense during the win streak. This is a positive for Donovan who’ll try to keep Towns engaged on both ends via the increased utilization of Adams.

Andrew Wiggins vs. Andre Roberson: Many have questioned Andrew Wiggins passion or his seeming disinterest at times. From my perspective (having watched him since high school) I think he tends to be what I would deem unselfish. The fact Thibs has gone with him as the primary ball handler in late game situations speaks to the trust level between coach and star.

Like Luol Deng and Jimmy Butler before him, it sure seems like Wiggins is the man Thibs has the most confidence in. The key for Wiggins is learning the intricacies of game flow to know when to call his own number and when to create for his court mates.

Coming off a game where Roberson had one of his strongest defensive efforts Andre will have his hands full locking down Wiggins (and potentially LaVine should he play).

Keys for Success:

Quite simply the Thunder need to replicate exactly what they’ve been doing during the win streak. That boils down to three things:

Focused defense over 48 minutes
Utilizing entire team offensively
Continuation of Payne gelling with the reserve unit, with emphasis on maintaining the score or increasing a lead.

Yes, there are obvious defensive areas to focus on like limiting turnovers and stopping the Wolves in transition. But the 3 areas above have proven to be highly successful during the Thunder’s 3-game win streak.

For the Wolves their priority is to close quarters strong and not allow one bad quarter. When Minnesota succeed, the one glaring difference on the box score is not succumbing to a blow-out quarter. On the surface that appears to be tied specifically to effort and focus.

Must Read: Five Shooters the Thunder Should Target

Rotations:

Oklahoma City Thunder Starters:

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

Oklahoma City Thunder Bench:

Point Guard: Cameron Payne, Semaj Christon
Shooting Guard: Alex Abrines Anthony Morrow
Small Forward: Jerami Grant, Kyle Singler,
Power Forward: Nick Collis on
Center: Enes Kanter, Joffrey Lauvergne

Notes: No injuries

Minnesota Wolves Starters:

PG: Ricky Rubio:
SG:* Zach LaVine
SF: Andrew Wiggins
PF: Karl-Anthony Towns
C: Gorgui Dieng

If LaVine can’t go look for Brandon Rush to fill in again like he did versus the Rockets

Minnesota Wolves Bench:

PG: Kris Dunn, Tyus Jones, John Lucas III

Game Specifics:

Recent History: OKC Thunder hold the all-time record versus Minnesota with a 79-29 record. Since moving to Oklahoma City the Thunder have owned the Wolves 27-6. In the past 12 games the Wolves record is 11-1 with the lone loss coming in Minnesota.
The Venue: Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
The Tip: 7:00 PM CT (8:00 PM ET)
TV: FS Oklahoma HD, National: ESPN
Radio:WWLS 98.1FM OKC / 930AM (ESP)

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Gameday Preview: OKC Thunder vs Wolves ‘Something’s Gotta Give’

By Tamberlyn Richardson | Jan 13, 2017