Game Day Preview – OKC Thunder start 4-game week @ Jazz

The OKC Thunder had a rough week losing  in LA and Oakland without the services of Steven Adams. After 4-days off they are back in action versus inter-divisional rival, the Utah Jazz.

After a rare 4-day break in the schedule the OKC Thunder are back in action tonight in Utah. In their previous meeting the Jazz took the match, but did so without a full complement of healthy bodies. That won’t be the case tonight as the Jazz feature a mostly healthy roster (Rodney Hood is out).

While not a must win game, the Thunder will be motivated to win this game for a number of reasons. Sure, the Jazz are in their Northwest Division, but more importantly Utah sit in front of them in the fifth seed and are one of the few teams who are seemingly avoiding the dog days of January curse. Further, with news Chris Paul will be out for at least a month to six weeks there is the opportunity for one of the Jazz, Grizzlies or Thunder to move up into a home court seed.

Utah enter the night on a 6-game win streak, but played Saturday so the Thunder have the distinct rest advantage.

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Will Adams Play? (UPDATE: ADAMS WILL PLAY)

Steven Adams traveled with the team, so here’s hoping he can pass the concussion protocol testing. Without Adams in the lineup the Thunder struggled specifically on the defensive end of the court.  Adams presence in the paint allows the Thunder to stop dribble penetration and drives to the hoop. Playing without  Adams over the past two games highlighted how much the Thunder rely on Westbrook and Adams to carry the team.  Although Adams isn’t considered one of the Thunder’s big offensive threats his presence allows for more offensive versatility.

Arguably the biggest lesson learned is how weak OKC are from a depth perspective.  Having to utilize Enes Kanter more, punctuated the absence of depth in the reserve unit.  Perhaps this is also a factor of working Cameron Payne back into shape and giving the reserves time to build a flow and identity.

Suffice to say getting Adams back will go a long way to expediting the progress of the reserve unit, while immediately improving the starters efforts on both ends of the floor.  With a four game week featuring two playoff squads the ideal scenario would be for OKC to muster a winning record and build some momentum.

Related Story: Concussion  Protocol Testing Explanation

Triple-Double Watch:

The Utah Jazz remain one of the few teams on the list who Westbrook has yet to garner a triple-double against in his career.  If Adams can’t play it’s almost a veritable certainty the Thunder will need that type of effort from Westbrook to steal a win in the always difficult Utah venue. Tonight offers the first game out since Westbrook learned he would not start in the All-Star Game, so let’s see if he uses that as motivation to gear up for a win and his 22nd triple-double.

Related: Fan Vote keeps Westbrook out of All-Star Starting Lineup

Jazz loaded with talent:

George Hill wasn’t playing in the first meeting between the teams and his presence makes a huge difference. In the games Hill has played the Jazz are 17- 4 whereas games he didn’t play the Jazz 12-12. I’d argue if Hill had stayed healthy he would be in the running for MVP this season given how much better the Jazz are with him in the lineup. Since his return from a second stint on the injured reserve the Jazz haven’t lost.

The combination of Hill and Hayward is formidable with the Jazz becoming virtually unbeatable when both are on the court. Obviously Rudy Gobert’s presence is key at the rim, but when you factor in Derrick Favors and the veteran presence and leadership of Joe Johnson and Boris Diaw this team is loaded with talent across the board and deep into their reserve unit.

If there is one benefit for the Thunder it comes with Rodney Hood not being available which will allow Roberson the opportunity to shut down Hayward and Oladipo to key in on the ever dangerous Hill.

Must Read: Is Westbrook All-Star snub worst in history?

Keys to win:

Force the Pace: the Jazz play at an almost glacial clip ranking 29th on pace. Since the Jazz played Saturday the Thunder have a distinct advantage of rested legs which they’ll need to capitalize on.

“We have a little bit of extra time to get prepared,” Donovan noted. “It’s kind of flipped. The last time we played they had a few days off before they played us. We’ve had some time to try to get better and improve.”– Donovan

Attack the boards and defense: Utah have the second best defensive unit in the Association and rank high in virtually every defensive category. With Gobert manning the paint the Jazz offer a solid paint protector. But, they also rank high at perimeter protection, transition defense and limit teams to 95.3 points and 43.3% field goal percentage (both ranked second in the  NBA).

To wit the Jazz offer the fewest points to opposing teams in the fast break, rank 7th in fewest opponent paint points and 5th for fewest second chance points. The only major defensive category they fall out of the top 10 is second chance points where they rank 11th.

Points off Turnovers: the Jazz don’t get many steals and don’t convert many of those points ranking 28th in points scored off turnovers. That said, the Thunder will need to protect the ball, because it’s not like the Jazz don’t have the personnel to score in those situations. Rather, the Jazz prefer to focus on grinding the game into a slow pace.

Bottom line:

Ironically the Jazz combine their slow pace with a very efficient offense. They score easily inside and while they don’t take a ton of threes, they are tied for 8th in efficiency on the ones they take. Thy score on the lower side of the League but do it efficiently, so combining their high end defense with that efficiency makes them a difficult team to master.

Last time out the Jazz were well rested awaiting the Thunder and with the roles reversed the Thunder will need to force pace if they want to throw the Jazz out of their comfort zone. OKC Thunder can’t take the Jazz for grated however, especially with Hill back as he makes Utah a formidable opponent.

Ultimately it may come down to whether Adams plays, but garnering a win in Utah while no easy feat would set the Thunder up well for a tough week ahead.  As per the tweet below, it sure feels like a bit of a cat and mouse game going on with Adams, which has me thinking Adams will suit up. Check back later for our pregame news and notes when we provide the update on his status.

Rotations:

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, 37.3% 3PFG%
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,

Notes:

• While Steven Adams is said to be traveling with the team no indication has been given on whether he’s passed the concussion protocol program yet. Adams participated in Sunday non-contact practice drills
• Check back pregame for News and notes for updates.

• If Adams is out the Thunder will be in tough facing Rudy Gobert at the rim. In the last two outings versus the Clippers and Warriors Donovan electing to start Jerami Grant. Alternative options for Donovan are former Jazz player Enes Kanter, Anthony Morrow, Nick Collison or Joffrey Lauvergne
• Semaj Christon and Josh Huestis are with the D-League affiliate Blues squad

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

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

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Shooting Guard: Alec Burks
Small Forward: Joe Johnson
Power Forward: Trey Lyles
Center: Boris Diaw, Jeff Withey

Notes:

• Rodney Hood is out after hyper extending knee and won’t play likely until end of month
• Rookie Joel Bolomboy is in Toronto at the D-League showcase with the Jazz D-League squad.

Must Read: Five Shooters the Thunder Should Target

Game Specifics:

Recent History: OKC Thunder hold the all-time record 21-11  over Utah with an all-time record of 100-77. 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. Obviously the revamped lineups each team features may give the edge 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)

Next up the OKC Thunder travel to New Orleans to play the Pelicans prior to a rare home game versus the Dallas Mavericks and finish the week playing last year’s champs the Cleveland  Cavaliers.