Preview: OKC Thunder look to start new win streak with Suns up first
Four consecutive winnable games are on tap for the OKC Thunder as they look to begin a new win streak.
The OKC Thunder will look to bounce back from a disappointing road loss, ending what could have been an impressive eight game winning streak, with a home exhibition against the struggling Phoenix Suns. Nonetheless, they’ll be looking to kick start another streak starting tonight: In fact the next four opponents for OKC should theoretically offer four wins as they play the Suns twice, the Knicks and Kings.
Although the loss to the Mavericks was disappointing, it’s not like the team was going to win all 82 games. Dallas has been a rather inconsistent team so far, but they have the tendency to get into offensive grooves behind the strong play of the rookie wonder Luka Doncic.
Both Paul George and Steven Adams combined for 20 points and 13 rebounds apiece, along with Dennis Schroder providing his usual dose of scoring with 19 points. However, besides Adams and Schroder’s efforts, and George and Jerami Grant who finished with a +3 point differential, the whole OKC Thunder bench unit was an underwhelming negative on the court.
The Phoenix Suns, on the other hand, have yet to sniff anything resembling consistency or success this season. Apart from an opening night win against Dallas and a two point victory over Memphis (which required a savior game winning effort from Booker), the Suns have been a tough watch.
They recently got galloped off the court by the Pelicans’ impressive frontcourt duo of Anthony Davis and Julius Randle, with both combining for double-doubles. T.J. Warren and rookie Deandre Ayton (25 and 20 points, respectively), with the latter providing a double-double performance against Davis, were the only bright spots for the Suns.
Their star, Devin Booker thus far has been rather inconsistent this season, dropping a measly 12 points against the Pelicans. In contrast, he supplied a fantastic 38 point performance versus the Boston Celtics, even as his squad blew a 22 point lead over the course of the second half. The Thunder will need to go into this matchup with a clear game plan to neutralize the Phoenix offense from opening tip. Here are the keys to victory.