Gameday Preview: OKC Thunder open their stretch run versus division rival the Utah Jazz
By Alex Mcewen
Projected Line-ups
OKC Thunder Starters:
Point Guard: Russell Westbrook
Shooting Guard: Terrance Ferguson
Small Forward: Paul George
Power Forward: Jerami Grant
Center: Steven Adams
OKC Thunder Bench
Point Guard: Dennis Schroder, Raymond Felton
Shooting Guard: Hamidou Diallo, Deonte Burton
Small Forward: Abdel Nader
Power Forward: Patrick Patterson, Markieef Morris
Center: Nerlens Noel
Injury Notes:
Andre Roberson: Avulsion Fracture – out indefinitely.
Jazz Starters
Point Guard: Ricky Rubio
Shooting Guard: Donovan Mitchell
Small Forward: Joe Ingles
Power Forward: Derek Favors
Center: Rudy Gobert
Jazz Bench
Point Guard: Raul Neto
Shooting Guard: Kyle Korver, Grayson Allen, Naz Mitrou-long
Small Forward: Jae Crowder, Royce O’Neale, Thabo Sefolosha
Power Forward: Georges Niang, Tyler Cavanaugh
Center: Ekpe Udoh
Injury Notes:
Dante Exum and Tony Bradley are both out
Game Specifics
Recent History:
All-time the Thunder are 29-12 vs. the Jazz. OKC is 8-2 in the last ten games against Utah.
Fan Data:
The Venue: Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
The Tip: 8:30 PM CST (9:30 EST)
TV: Fox Sports Oklahoma and ESPN
Radio: Oklahoma City – WWLS 98.1FM OKC / 930AM (ESP) and League Pass Audio
The remaining schedule is overrated
The OKC Thunder have the hardest remaining strength of schedule in the entire NBA. However, the metric is based on the opponents winning percentage. In the NBA every team will face all 29 opponents throughout the regular season.
Oklahoma City has beaten elite teams and lost to some pretty bad squads. With that said, in my opinion, what makes a schedule hard regardless of the opposition is the number of back-to-backs. Including the current set, the Thunder have five remaining back-to-backs.
OKC is tied with the Warriors, Grizzlies, and Jazz for the second most in the West. For what it’s worth, the Memphis Grizzlies have the most back-to-back’s, with six such contests remaining.
Closing Thoughts
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In franchise history, Oklahoma City has gone 6-4 in their first match after All-Star break. Coming off a disappointing loss, courtesy of the Pelicans heading into the break the Thunder hope to improve the win column to seven.
Tonight’s game could be vital down the line, in a potential tie-breaker situation. If the Thunder gets the victory this evening, they will improve to 6-0 over the Jazz and Blazers, winning the season series from two tough divisional rivals.
Next. OKC Thunder news: Markieff Morris is official and Russell Westbrook's triple-double season. dark
Enjoy the game Thunder Nation, if you will be in attendance this evening be safe, have fun, get loud and Thunder Up!