Game Preview: OKC Thunder seek second win over Atlanta Hawks to rekindle win-streak
After snapping a 3-game losing streak with a redeeming win over the Spurs, the OKC Thunder seek to rekindle a winning streak with second win over Atlanta Hawks.
OKC Thunder is fresh off a redemption win after hosting the San Antonio Spurs. The game broke a three-game losing streak that began with a rather upsetting loss to the Washington Wizards and led to a heartbreaking loss with double-overtime in San Antonio.
After losing to two below .500 teams back-to-back (.409 Wizards and .488 Timberwolves), OKC needs a statement win tonight over Atlanta.
The Hawks sit at No. 12 in the Eastern Conference with a 13-30 record. They’re fresh off a 133-114 loss to the Bucks on Sunday night.
Comparing records, the Thunder should be a shoo-in for tonight’s contest. However, taking a little deeper look…OKC may have to work harder than initially expected.
In their last ten games, the teams are nearly even. OKC has a 5-5 record and Atlanta has a slightly less 4-6 record over their last ten. Over that duration, the teams met two of the same teams: Washington and Minnesota. Let’s discuss that.
Sunday, Dec. 23, OKC hosted Minnesota and was outscored 114-112. Friday, Dec. 28, Atlanta took Minnesota to overtime and came out on top 123-120. Then on Jan. 8, OKC was poised for a redemption win over the Timberwolves, but fell again with another 2-point loss in Minnesota, 119-117.
Wednesday, Jan. 12, Atlanta lost on the road to the Wizards, 114-98. A few days later, the Wizards continued what would be a four-game winning streak with a 116-98 win over OKC. Yeah, you’re right. That is nearly the same exact score.
All of this regurgitation of scores and dates is just to reiterate that the unimpressive .302 record for the Hawks is not indicative of the team’s degree of threat as they host the OKC Thunder tonight.
As long term fans we know that these sub par teams seem to just shine when facing OKC, and the Thunder can get too big for their britches, losing games just like tonight’s match.
Much like the OKC versus Washington showdown, the team could easily drop this one if not careful. Luckily according to Paul George, the team may have learned their lesson following the Wizards debacle.
Paul George called it a “weird game,” and also suggested there was some letdown in play: “We did well on the road, we had some big games that we won and just one of those nights you come home and you see an opponent like the Wizards ... you just fall into that trap.” pic.twitter.com/NQzi1f8cEg
— Royce Young (@royceyoung) January 7, 2019
The outing will also be Dennis Schroder’s first trip back to the State Farm Arena since his trade to OKC. He put up 18 points off 53.3 percent shooting in the Thunder’s 15-point win over Atlanta back in November.
Schroder spent all five of his prior NBA seasons with the franchise, averaging 12.9 points over that time. Halfway through his sixth season, he is averaging 15.3 points with OKC. His return to Atlanta could fuel another great performance, factoring into the algorithm for a win tonight.