Thunderous Intentions
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OKC Thunder: 3 keys versus Warriors and red hot Stephen Curry

By Tamberlyn Richardson

Warriors vs. OKC Thunder: Stephen Curry (30) after the game : Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Warriors vs. OKC Thunder: Stephen Curry (30) after the game : Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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OKC Thunder forward Luguentz Dort (5) reacts after a basket in the first quarter against Jazz : Jeffrey Swinger-USA TODAY Sports /

Green still a factor:

Draymond Green remains the glue for this Warriors team. While the absence of Klay Thompson is noticeable on both sides of the hardwood any games Green is out there is a noticeable drop in play.

Green does so much for the Dubs and this season, he’s attempting to check more boxes which can equate to increased scoring. Case in point, Green has scored in double-figures just 12 times this season but four of those efforts occurred in his last seven matches.

In those seven games, Green is averaging 9.9 points, 6.6 rebounds, 8.3 assists, and 2.7 steals. Plus he’s connecting with 36.8 percent perimeter efficiency in this period. And, all of this while captaining the Dub’s defensive effort.

With rookie James Wiseman suffering a torn meniscus the emphasis on Green doing more on the boards and defensively increases.

The lottery and play-in factor:

Entering tonight’s match the Warriors are seeded 10th and would be the final participant of the play-in tournament if the playoffs started today.

Golden State holds a one-game edge over the Pelicans who reside in 11th and are a game back of the Spurs in 9th.

As an interesting side note, the Spurs will play the Raptors tonight so Toronto could help the Dubs with a victory. However, like the Thunder, Toronto is playing the second game of a back-to-back and has won only once in 12 prior opportunities.

Meanwhile, in less than a week the Thunder have improved from the eighth-best odds of nabbing the top draft pick to the sixth-best odds. OKC are a half-game back of the Cavaliers who’ll play the Hornets tonight so a Cleveland win combined with a Thunder loss would drop the Thunder to fifth on the tankathon list.

If that switch occurs the next level of teams will require multiple losses by OKC mixed with wins by the next two teams — the Magic (4th) and Pistons (3rd). The ultimate goal would be to catch the Pistons who reside in one of those highly coveted bottom three berths and have a four-game loss advantage on the Thunder.

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