PG must eclipse 30
Against the Orlando Magic, Paul George scored 31 points in the first half. George joined Steph Curry, James Harden, Klay Thompson, and Joel Embiid as the only players to score 30 or more in a first half this season.
Overall when George scores 30+ points in a game the results bode well for the Thunder. In games when George has eclipsed the 30 point plateau Oklahoma City is 16-4, in contests PG has failed to score 30 OKC’s record sets at a meager 15-14.
Hold Miami Under 100
This year when Miami has scored below 100 points their record is 2-12, coincidently Oklahoma City is 6-0 when holding their opponent below 100. Miami is a scrappy defensive team placing third in opponents points per game at 105.5 and sixth in defensive rating at 106.5.
The problem for the Heat is their offense has not matched their defense as their record stands at 24-25, good for seventh in the East.
Take advantage of limited personnel
Erik Spoelstra is an excellent head coach, hence why he is the second-longest tenured coach in the NBA, behind Gregg Popovich. The reason behind the Heats substandard offense is not an X’s and O’s problem, but rather a personnel issue.
Currently, the Heat have no true point guard healthy. Tyler Johnson is a Shooting Guard playing pg, due to Goran Dragic‘s knee injury. The Heat’s lack of point guard play has shown on the court, they are one of nine teams to register 30 assists on fewer than five instances this season.