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Preview: Thunder hoping to take one step closer to Playoffs

By Tony Heim

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - MARCH 23: Paul George #13, Carmelo Anthony #7 and Russell Westbrook #0 of the OKC Thunder stand on the court during the game against the Miami Heat on March 23, 2018 at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images)
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - MARCH 23: Paul George #13, Carmelo Anthony #7 and Russell Westbrook #0 of the OKC Thunder stand on the court during the game against the Miami Heat on March 23, 2018 at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Tonight’s matchup in Miami – like every game the past few weeks – might be the most important OKC Thunder game of the season.

Nervous? Tense? Excited? If you’re like me, you’re feeling all these emotions as we get closer to tonight’s visit in Miami. The OKC Thunder still haven’t clinched a Playoff berth with two games left, but they do hold their own destiny. A win against the Heat would do wonders for their chances.

Miami (43-37) enters Monday in a somewhat similar situation as OKC, albeit without the uncertainty of making the Playoffs. The Heat are currently tied with the Milwaukee Bucks for the 6th seed and one game ahead of Washington for the 8th seed, so they certainly will not take this game lightly (unless they are looking to avoid LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers).

Three keys for an Oklahoma City win

Communicate on defense

This has been a key for the Thunder all season, but it especially rings true when playing this Miami team. The Heat have nine different players that average 10 points a game or better because of Erik Spoelstra’s spread offense/lack of a true superstar. Goran Dragic leads the team in points and assists, but Miami has a plethora of options that can make plays on any given possession. If OKC doesn’t make it an emphasis to call out screens, cuts and fakes they will get burned on the defensive end.

Get Paul George going early

Saying PG has struggled recently is an understatement. The All-Star forward has shot over 40% just once in the last eight games. That trend didn’t change in the marquee Houston win on Saturday night, but there was something important to note. George hit his first two shots, both before the 8:00 minute mark of the first quarter. From there we saw one of George’s better defensive performances of the season.

OKC Thunder
HOUSTON, TX – APRIL 07: Paul George #13 of the OKC Thunder drives to the basket defended by James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets in the second half at Toyota Center on April 7, 2018 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) /

While feeding him early isn’t a surefire way to reinvigorate George’s mechanics, it has proven to do wonders for his overall game. Hopefully Russell Westbrook realizes this and makes it a point in not only this game, but the rest of the season.

Play like this is a Playoff game

Although the Thunder appear on their way to the Playoffs, nothing is certain with two games left. And when we’ve seen this team come out lackadaisical all season we can’t rule anything out. OKC played incredible on Saturday night because they acted as if it was their last game of the season. They weren’t playing out-of-control, instead ensuring that made conscious, smart decisions for their teammates. Now they need to play tonight, against an above-average Eastern Conference team, the exact same way.

Next: Current update on the Western Conference Playoff race

Prediction

Earlier I predicted the Thunder to go 3-1 in their last four games, with the lone loss to Miami. I’d like to slightly amend that as I’m taking the Thunder tonight. I don’t like overreacting to one game, but Saturday felt different. Billy Donovan showed us what his Playoff rotations might look like and Russell Westbrook clamped down on the defensive end, two statements I never thought I was going to make this season. The Thunder’s momentum is going to keep on rolling:

110-98

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