Preview: OKC Thunder begin 5-game homestand vs. Indiana Pacers
By Alex Mcewen
Out-pacing the competition
When Victor Oladipo suffered a season-ending knee injury versus the Toronto Raptors in January, many wrote the Pacers off, then and there. However, just like their injured All-Star, the team displayed resilience. The Pacers did not suffer their first three-game losing streak, until after Oladipo went down, then they dropped four contests in a row.
After their longest skid, the Pacers stabilized and have the leagues 13th best record since February 2. Indiana plays as a unit, and their coach gets them ready to play every night. The Thunder are essentially the opposite.
Furthermore, (and highly interesting), since the Paul George trade was made with Indiana the Pacers possess a better record than the Thunder.
Derail Domantas
When the Thunder and Pacers met earlier this month, the Thunder could not stop their former power forward Domantas Sabonis. Possession, after possession, the third-year player out of Gonzaga was salivating at the lack of Thunder defense.
Sabonis scored 26-points, on 7 of 12 from the field for 58.3 percent shooting. The game marked his second-highest scoring outburst of the 2018-19 campaign. If Oklahoma City cannot limit the young power forward tonight, they will be staring at their fourth consecutive home loss.