Preview: Thunder look to build off Warriors victory against LA

Three keys to the game

1. Slowing down LA’s offense

Beating the Lakers is all about playing defense and not allowing their front court to control the game. Led by Brook Lopez, Julius Randle and Brandon Ingram, along with the team-leading scorer Kyle Kuzma and Larry Nance Jr. coming off the bench, LA will look to hurt opponents around the rim.

Steven Adams and Jerami Grant have done well as the main rim protectors for Oklahoma City and have helped the Thunder limit opponents to 102.8 points per game, which is sixth best in the league. Their help defense will also be needed more, as not having Roberson on the perimeter will continue to be an issue until a change is made. Paul George has been the amazing two-way player we all thought we were getting, but Roberson’s void still needs to be addressed.

2. Second-unit maintains the scoring

This one should be easy for OKC. Scoring is never a question for Russell Westbrook, but he’s not the one we’re worried about. Once the second-unit comes in, things typically go downhill fairly quickly on the offensive end. With all due respect to Raymond Felton, the fact that he’s second in scoring among bench players behind the defensive specialist Jerami Grant is unsettling.

Now that either Ferguson or Huestis joins the starting lineup, points coming off the bench will be that much more scarce for the time being. As trade rumors continue to swirl, things could be about to change. For now, however, we will depend on Westbrook to not get tired.

3. Finding the hot hand

Barring an injury or a fluke, Westbrook and Paul George are going to get their points every night. If Oklahoma City can count on anywhere from 55-70 points between the Westbrook and George, plus 10-15 from Adams, 30-40 points needs to be found elsewhere. Looking down the bench for other contributors, Donovan has to feel a bit frustrated at times.

Sure, Carmelo Anthony is more than capable of providing just that, but it’s not always been a given. Even though he’s averaging 17 points per game, his hot is hot and his cold is cold. On the season, he’s shooting 41% from the floor and 34% from deep.

That’s not to say Melo isn’t playing well or he’s hurting the team, it’s just to show he won’t drop a guaranteed 30 points on a nightly basis like Westbrook. Even to his critics, Melo taking a lot of shots is a better option than Felton or Abrines trying to carry the load.