OKC Thunder finish weekend road trip versus Toronto Raptors: preview

Keys to the game:

The biggest key to this game will be, as mentioned earlier, the defense of both teams. The Raptors are third in the NBA in steals per game (8.6).  They are ninth in both blocks (5.5) and defensive rebounds (36.3) per game.

Raptors opponents are unable to score well against the defense as the Raptors only give up 106.5 points per game, good for seventh in the league. This is due to the Raptors being fourth in perimeter defense (33.3 percent) and third in 2-point field goal percentage against (48.6). They rank second overall on opponent field goal percent (42.2 percent) and third overall in defensive rating (104.1) behind the Bucks (101.3) and Nuggets (104.0).

The Thunder need to exploit the inexperience in the paint. Steven Adams has been massive since recovering from his knee contusion. Ibaka is a solid defender, he has led the league in blocks repeatedly. When he is not on the court, the Raptors are relying on the energy and athleticism of Chris Boucher.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is on a tear at the moment and this is his home team as he hails from Hamilton (approximately 40 mins outside Toronto). He has scored 20 or more points in the past five games. His matchup against the smaller Fred VanVleet will be interesting to watch. However, this is not the key matchup.

The key matchup of the night is going to be Chris Paul against Kyle Lowry. Both of these players have a greater impact on their teams than their box scores suggest. When Lowry gets hot, he is one of the hardest players in the NBA to stop. Paul knows better than any player in the NBA when to involve a teammate and when to take matters into his own hands. This will be fascinating duo to keep track of.