OKC Thunder: Everything you need to know for matchup versus Suns

A third of the way into the season the OKC Thunder are close to surpassing the win total Vegas predicted in the preseason.

No matter who Mark Daigneault puts on the court this team fights and finds a way to be competitive. Of their 20 wins this season, 10 occurred against teams currently on the playoff ladder.

Their most recent win occurred with four of their five typical starters out including Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Darius Bazley, and Luguentz Dort.

As for the Suns, they enter tonight on a four-game win streak, seeded second in the West, and one of the hottest current clubs.

Phoenix began the year playing .500 ball. The last time these clubs met OKC served the Suns a loss which capped a three-game losing streak — their only such stretch of the season. That was the 16th match of the season for Phoenix who held an 8-8 record.

Demonstrating their consistency and growth the Suns have played 31 games since that match versus OKC and have two fewer losses (25-6).

OKC Thunder versus Phoenix Suns – everything you need to know:

The Phoenix players who’ll take to the hardwood remain the same as the January 27th meeting, but as noted the OKC Thunder lineup will be dramatically different.

Theoretically, this should be a slam dunk for the Suns but nothing is a given against this resilient Thunder crew. The same team they just beat pushed the Suns to clutch time eventually succumbing 104-100.

Although the Thunder beat Toronto, the areas they dominated won’t be as easily attained versus Chris Paul and co.

For example, OKC destroyed Toronto on the glass 64-35 and were plus 10 in paint scoring.

Rebounding was the key as it created second chance opportunities for Phoenix which offset the 20 turnovers the Raptors forced, 13 steals, and 17 fast break-points.

Phoenix won the rebound battle in the first meeting and the perimeter will be a focus as the Suns hold opponents to the second-lowest perimeter efficiency while posting the eighth-best 3-point efficiency.

Those wanting a more detailed preview, the three keys from the prior match can be found here.

Game specifics:

Records:

Thunder: 20-27
Suns: 33-14

The Venue: Phoenix Arena, Phoenix, Arizona

Tipoff: 10:00 PM ET | 9:00 PM CT

TV: Fox Sports Oklahoma | NBA League Pass

Radio: WWLS 98.1 FM OKC

Odds:

Injuries:

As per the NBA injury report …

OKC Thunder:

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will miss his fifth consecutive game with plantar fasciitis
Al Horford has been shut down for the season.
Darius Bazley will miss his 12th consecutive game with a shoulder contusion.
Mike Muscala is out with an ankle injury missing his 10th of the last 11 games.
Luguentz Dort is out in the concussion protocol program, missing his third game in a row.
Ty Jerome is day-to-day with an ankle injury.
Aleksej Pokusevski is in the NBA health and safety protocols listed as day-to-day.

Suns:

Abdel Nader has a knee injury that kept him out the past six games – he’s listed as day-to-day on the injury report.
Frank Kaminsky is in the NBA health and safety protocols listed as day-to-day

History:

Over the course of history, the teams have played 243 times in the regular season. The Suns have the advantage of winning 128 games versus the Thunder while the OKC has won on 115 occasions.

Last season, the clubs met on three occasions with the Thunder taking two of the three matches. This is the second game between the clubs in this 2020-21 campaign. In their initial meeting on January 27th, the Thunder won 102-97.

The final game between the clubs is set for a month from now on May 2nd in Oklahoma City.

Enjoy tonight’s game and check back tomorrow for the player grades and three takeaways.

dark. Next. Power rankings for Thunder and peers at trade deadline

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