Gameday Preview: OKC Thunder face litmus test against defending champs and top-seeded Warriors

The OKC Thunder are coming off a collapse in Indianapolis. Returning home in need of a win, Oklahoma City will face the defending champs and top-seeded Warriors.

The OKC Thunder are coming off a frustrating loss to the Indiana Pacers. The Thunder built a lead as large as 19-points on Thursday night. However, thanks to a sloppy close to the third and the entire fourth quarter a crashing Wesley Mathews grabbed an offensive board an ultimately put the Thunder away 108-106.

The game was the perfect microcosm of the Thunder’s season. In the first half, OKC built a large lead, they were getting everyone involved playing team basketball, and Paul George was on fire dropping 20-points through the first and second periods.

Then after halftime, Oklahoma City looked like a different team. During intermission, they transformed from a blue-collar team into a white-collar team. They stopped playing defense, were sloppy with the ball, and went isolation heavy.

Give Adams the ball

The stat of the game is this, Steven Adams took 11 shots in the first half, the Thunder built a 13-point lead. In the second half, Adams was limited to a seldom three field-goal attempts, Oklahoma City got outscored by 15.

The only shot Adams creates by himself is when he gets an offensive rebound. Other than that, he is at the mercy of his guards, and they must continue to find their big man in the third and fourth quarters.

There have been 26 instances this season when Adams has attempted three or fewer field goals in the second half. Oklahoma City’s record in those 26 contests is 13-13 or .500. If Oklahoma City does not utilize their starting center in the second half tonight, they will not win.