OKC Thunder: 3 keys to final meeting versus Rockets

The OKC Thunder finish off week 13 of action still on the road and traveling to Houston. It marks the third and final meeting against the Rockets this season.

In past seasons these teams have battled in the postseason and produced some entertaining matches often filled with drama. Thunder Nation will never forget Patrick Beverley’s cheap shot on Russell Westbrook that ended the Brodie’s season- and marked the first time he’d miss a game.

Or last season with Westbrook now playing in Houston and a first-round series that went the distance right up to the final shot.

These two clubs punctuate how quickly situations can change for a franchise. Instead of sitting among the elite in the West, they are rebuilding and in pursuit of that elusive bingo ball. Winning the lottery this year could immediately impact how quickly the rebuild takes.

Three keys to OKC Thunder contest versus the Rockets

Both clubs arrive Sunday on losing streaks but of drastically different lengths. The Thunder were among the better road teams through the first 10 weeks of the season but have lost both matches on their current trip dropping to 9-12 away from Chesapeake. As such, they’ll be seeking to stop the losing at two (or will they?).

On the opposite end of the spectrum are the Rockets who’ve lost a franchise-worst 19 games in-a-row. Although Christian Wood returned to the rotation this week Houston lost both matches he played in.

P.J. Tucker is gone having been traded to the Bucks in exchange for D.J. Augustin and D.J. Wilson who both appeared in the last game.

As for the three keys they don’t follow the typical pattern given who the opponent is…

OKC Thunder key no. 1 – Do the Thunder want to win this game?

Let’s face it the ideal scenario for the Thunder is for the Rockets to start winning some games. Nothing can be decided until those lottery balls are pulled but the preference would be for Houston to get seeded outside the top four picks. If that occurs then the Thunder would get the Rockets first-round draft pick which is protected 1-4.

OKC Thunder key no. 2 – Audition time

With so many members of the starting unit and core out the games played leading up to March 25th carry extra weight. OKC will play three matches prior to the deadline including today, Monday versus the Wolves, and Wednesday versus the Grizzlies.

That means Sam Presti will be hoping some of the young guys who aren’t in the picture long-term put up strong efforts in these games so he can include them in trade packages.

On the opposite side of the coin, it’s not likely George Hill will play prior to the deadline. There’s no need to risk him getting injured and after so much time off the court. Moreover, he’ll be rusty and lacking rhythm and that’s not the last impression the Thunder want in trade partner’s minds.

OKC Thunder key no. 3 – As for the actual game …

So yeah, there’s a game to be played today and regardless of the first two points, there are goals to be met. One key is the continued growth and development of the youngsters. While the Rockets have struggled they still have some quality players who’ll provide matchup problems — and hence an opportunity for Thunder youngsters to gain experience guarding.

The most obvious is Christian Wood. With Bazley and Horford both out, the likely matchup will fall to Moses Brown and Isaiah Roby.

John Wall isn’t the same player of old but still possesses a toolbox of skills and is a crafty floor captain. That will afford Theo Maledon and Ty Jerome opportunities (assuming they play based on the injury report).

Game specifics:

Records:

Thunder: 11-29
Rockets: 17-24

The Venue: Toyota Center, Houston, Texas

Tipoff: 2:00 PM ET | 1:00 PM CT

TV: Fox Sports Oklahoma | NBA League Pass

Radio: WWLS 98.1 FM OKC

Odds:

Injuries:

The big news here is the numerous players out and it begs the question if OKC is purposely looking to lose this match. I’m not suggesting the players listed aren’t injured but electing to rest Horford on the front side of a back-to-back set with so many core players out is telling.

Thunder:

Ty Jerome has an ankle sprain but is listed as available
Theo Maledon is listed as both “not with team” and available on the NBA injury report
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is listed out with shoulder soreness.
Darius Bazley will miss his sixth game with a shoulder contusion.
Al Horford is out for load management (rest).
George Hill remains is still out healing from his thumb injury.
Josh Hall remains out with left knee soreness.
Meyers Leonard is not with the team

Rockets:

Kenyon Martin Jr. (self-isolating) should be available
Ben McLemore (self-isolating) is listed as available
Eric Gordon is out with a groin injury
Danuel House won’t play Sunday nursing a knee injury
Kevin Porter Jr. (right quad soreness) is out with right quad sorenessDavid Nwaba is out with a right wrist injury.
Dante Exum is dealing with a right calf strain with an expected return date of late March
Chris Clemons (Achilles) lost for the season

History:

More from Thunderous Intentions

The clubs have played each other 225 times in the regular season over the franchise’s history. The OKC Thunder hold the advantage in those encounters winning 115 matches versus 110 for the Rockets.

This match is the third and final meeting of the season with each team having won once. Houston took the initial meeting on February 1st 136-106 while the Thunder won the February 3rd contest 104-87.

Last season, the squads also played three times with the OKC Thunder winning two of the three games and although the teams had identical records at season end Houston was seeded higher because they won the Southwest Division. Although that factored little given all playoff squads appeared in the Orlando bubble.

It’s another matinee match so sit back and relax and check back later for the grades and Enjoy the game and check back tomorrow for insights from the game.

dark. Next. Pros and cons of trading for John Collins

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