Game Day Preview – OKC Thunder seek to win 3-in-row, host depleted Mavericks

Following 2 big wins to start week 14, the OKC Thunder get a rare January home date versus the Dallas Mavericks.  Game Day preview provides analysis to prep you for  7PM CT tip-off.

Following what was arguably the roughest week of the season, the OKC Thunder have bounced back in a big way in Week 14.  Russell Westbrook has notched back-to-back triple-doubles, and hit a game winner against the Utah Jazz. Who says the All-Star starting snub wouldn’t motivate Westbrook?

This is the first of 3 meetings this season between the teams. Although the Mavericks got out of the gate struggling with Dirk Nowitzki unavailable, they’ve somewhat corrected the ship of late. Dallas has won 2-games in a row and are 5-5 in their past 10-games. For the Thunder, they’ve shown a preference to play fully healthy squads.

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Trends:

Case in point, they beat the Pelicans last night, a fully healthy Clippers squad and mostly healthy Rockets team (no Beverley). But when facing the same Rockets without Clint Capela they lost, ditto for the Reggie Jackson/Andre Drummond-less Pistons, Paul George-less Pacers and D’Angelo Russell-less Lakers.

Perhaps the OKC Thunder just perform better when pushed to the max.  But, if the Thunder want to extend their win streak to 3 they’ll need to prove they can beat short handed squads since  Dirk Nowitzki, Deron Williams, Wesley Matthews and J.J.Barea have all been confirmed as out.

Another troubling stat is the Thunder are 2-6 in the second game of back-to-back series, with the 2 wins coming against Detroit and Atlanta.  However, the Mavericks who also played Wednesday (beating the Knicks), are 0-8 in second nights of back-to-back series.

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Triple-Double Watch:

Entering the game Russell Westbrook now sits alone on the All-Time list in fifth place having surpassed Larry Bird last night with his 60th triple-double of all-time. It also marked his 23rd trip-dub of this season.

Moving forward, for Westbrook to average a triple-double on the season he doesn’t need to score another point having already registered 1,413 points. As for rebounds and assists he has grabbed  490 rebounds and dished 478 assists to date.

With 36 games remaining Westbrook needs to grab 330 rebounds and 342 assists or average 9.1 rebounds and 9.5 assists per game to replicate what Oscar Robertson did in 1961-62 season.  Barring injury and knowing Russ is likely to have a few more 17 assist or rebound games this seems like a done deal already.

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

Most Improved Candidate:

While many cited Harrison Barnes as the disposable entity in Golden State he’s had a season worthy of Most Improved Player consideration.  Many pundits forget how much he gave up in the Warriors system and how easily he accepted his role. Much like Andrew Wiggins is cited for not being passionate or aggressive enough these two players are proving otherwise.

Not only is Barnes showcasing a versatile offensive game, he’s also demonstrated no fear in being the clutch shot taker. And, perhaps most impressively he embraced moving to power forward when Nowitzki plays center providing Dallas with a flexible offensive lineup. The problem is that means Barnes has to guard (often) much bigger power forwards, but he’s done it all without complaint or reservation.

Suffice to say, Mark Cuban and Rick Carlisle are probably thinking they have their first core piece to build around.

With Nowitzki not playing on consecutive nights Barnes may end up, being guarded by Steven Adams or a combination of Roberson and Adams.

Keys to Winning:

Although Dallas has shown improvements over the past 10-games they have specific weaknesses the Thunder will need to exploit. Most notably the Mavericks have the slowest pace in the NBA, get to the line the least and are the worst rebounding team.

Without 4 key players the game plan becomes that much clearer for the OKC Thunder:

• Dominate the boards
• Push Pace
• Resist fouling
• Double team Harrison Barnes or aggressively defend him, one on one.

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Rotations:

Oklahoma City Thunder Starters:

Point Guard:  Russell Westbrook – 30.7 points,  10.4 assists, 10.7 rebounds
Shooting Guard:  Victor Oladipo– 16.2 points, 2.6 assists,  4.2 rebounds, 37.8% 3PFG%
Small Forward:  Andre Roberson – 6.7 points, 1.1 assists,  4.7 rebounds, 1.2 steals, 1.0 blocks
Power Forward: Domantas Sabonis – 6.0 points, 1.2 assists, 3.5 rebounds
Center: Steven Adams– 12.2 points,  7.5 rebounds, 1.2 assists,1.2 steals, 1.2 blocks

Notes:

• 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

Dallas Mavericks:

Given the number of missing starters the following is my best guess at who starts.

Point Guard:  Devin Harris
Shooting Guard: Seth Curry
Small Forward: Harrison Barnes
Power Forward: Dorian Finney-Smith
Center: Andrew Bogut (note Bogut has just returned from a hamstring injury of his own, so even if he starts don’t expect him to log major minutes).

Dallas Mavericks Reserves:

Point Guard: Pierre Jackson
Shooting Guard: Justin Anderson 
Small Forward: Nicolas Brussino
Power Forward:Dwight Powell,
Center: Salah Mejri, A.J. Hammons

Notes:

• Dirk Nowtizki won’t play: ESPN advises –  Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News reports Nowitzki won’t travel with the team to OKC
• Deron Williams has started the past few games, but left the Knicks game due to a strained toe. ESPN advises: Williams (toe) will likely stay behind when the team travels to face the Thunder on Thursday, Earl K. Sneed of the Mavericks’ official site reports.
• Wesley Matthews injured his hip and is definitely out
• J.J. Barea played versus the Jazz, but hasn’t played since and is expected to remain out until mid to late February after injuring his calf (as per CBS Sports)

Game Specifics:

Recent History: OKC Thunder hold  the advantage17-12 with an all-time record of 77-70  over Dallas. Furthermore, the Thunder are currently on a 4 game win streak versus the Mavericks.

The Venue: Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, OK

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The Tip: 7:00 PM CT (8:00 PM ET)

TV: FS Oklahoma HD

Radio: WWLS 98.1FM OKC / 930AM (ESP)

Next up for the OKC Thunder after 2 days off, they’ll  travel to Cleveland. The Cavaliers are currently on a 3-game losing streak and embroiled in a bit of awkwardness as GM LeBron James complains about the top-heavy structure of the team.  By the time the Thunder arrive though, the Cavs will likely be out of the losing mode since they face the Nets, Friday night.

Still, it’s somewhat perfect timing with all this Cavs and King turmoil occurring as Westbrook faces 2 starting All-Stars so he can showcase his ‘reserve’ prowess to them. Moreover, Cleveland is one of the four teams remaining he has yet to record a triple-double against (the others are Chicago, Charlotte and San Antonio).  That said, let’s send positive vibes for another win tonight so the Thunder have a chance at sweeping this week’s games.

Check back pregame for any updates, and make sure to catch our post game roundup afterward and offer your thoughts on the match in our comments section.