OKC Thunder prepare to disrupt Cavs with spirited opening quarter
The OKC Thunder are not letting trade talks impact their performance on the court as they take on the Cleveland Cavaliers. Gameday breaks down the match.
The OKC Thunder are in arguably the best position in the NBA in terms of their current success and the opportunities they have to either alter or nurture their squad. As those around the league speculate about who will be traded before Thursday’s deadline, OKC doesn’t have to worry too much about that.
That is a credit to the way Sam Presti, Billy Donovan and veteran point guard Chris Paul have led the team. Paul has built a new culture in OKC and inspired a strong mindset, especially for the young guys.
On the other hand, the Cleveland Cavaliers who they will face on Wednesday might be one of the most talked about teams during this busy time of the year. Despite this, they are coming off a hard-fought effort against the New York Knicks which went to overtime.
They lost by five points but showed that they won’t stop fighting on the court. Kevin Love, Collin Sexton, and Larry Nance Jr. were some of the standout performers for the Cavs.
OKC is coming off four days of rest so will be refreshed and rearing to go. Through the month of January, they played 17 games and three back to backs. They came out winning an impressive 12 of those matches and showed that they can maintain winning no matter the circumstances.
If we look at the state of the Cavaliers, they are on a four-game losing streak in relatively high scoring encounters. There’s no questioning that they can obtain a team contribution in terms of numbers but it’s finishing the game that matters.
The OKC Thunder are now 30-20 and look like they can make a deep playoff run. The Cavs are 13-38 but are still a young team and in my opinion, we should cut them a bit of slack. They are still developing and are led in the backcourt by 21-year old Sexton and 20-year old Darius Garland.
With that being said let’s have a look at the keys to the game.