OKC Thunder face Rockets in Russell Westbrook homecoming: game preview

Projected Line-ups:

OKC Thunder Starters:

Point Guard: Chris Paul
Shooting Guard: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Small Forward: Terrance Ferguson
Power Forward: *Danilo Gallinari
Center:  Steven Adams

OKC Thunder Bench:

Point Guard: Dennis Schroder.
Shooting Guard: Deonte Burton, Hamidou Diallo
Small Forward: Abdel Nader. Darius Bazley
Power Forward: Mike Muscala
Center: *Nerlens Noel, Justin Patton

Injury notes:

• *Danilo Gallinari missed the game in Brooklyn due to tightness in his calf but is expected to play on Thursday.
• *Nerlens Noel was out Tuesday due to the sprained ankle and remains questionable for Thursday.
• Andre Roberson continues his rehab away from the team.

Houston Rockets Starters:

Point Guard: Russell Westbrook
Shooting Guard: James Harden
Small Forward: Danuel House
Power Forward: PJ Tucker
Center:  Clint Capela

Houston Rockets Bench:

More from Thunderous Intentions

• Stealing one player from every Southwest Division team for the OKC Thunder
• Should the OKC Thunder chase after a disgruntled hometown hero?
• 3 OKC Thunder players who can step up in Aleksej Pokusevski’s absence
• Aleksej Pokusevski sidelined approximately 6 weeks with ankle injury
• Damian Lillard does not fit with the OKC Thunder

Point Guard: Chris Clemons, Michael Frazier
Shooting Guard: Eric Gordon, Austin Rivers, Ben McLemore
Small Forward:  Gary Clark, William Howard
Power Forward:
Center: *Tyson Chandler, Isaiah Hartenstein

Injury notes:

• *Tyson Chandler missed the previous three games due to right shoulder spasms and pain in his ribs. He’s listed as probable for this match.
• Russell Westbrook is being rested in the Wednesday match as the Rockets continue to sit him in one game every back-to-back set and logically his return to OKC took precedence.
• Thabo Sefolosha is sidelined due to an illness, with uncertainty of when he’ll return.
• Nene Hilario remains out with a strained abductor.
• Gerald Green is out indefinitely with a broken left foot and an expected return date of May.

Game Specifics

The Venue: Chesapeake Energy Arena

Tipoff:  9:00 PM ET  | 8:00 PM CT

TV: FS Oklahoma

Radio: WWLS 98.1 FM OKC

History:

The teams have played 42 times as they are named today with the OKC Thunder holding a 25-17 advantage. The Thunder took three of the four matches last season but the Rockets won the initial meeting this season 116-112 on October 28th.

Enjoy the game and check back after for player grades and takeaways.