OKC Thunder face Westbrook's Wizards

The final month of the season arrives with the OKC Thunder on the road to face a familiar face. Tonight marks the first meeting against the Washington Wizards this season and former Thunder superstar Russell Westbrook.

OKC played on Sunday in Tampa Bay in a match that didn’t have a full lineup worth of typical starters between the two teams combined. It was a big day for Canadian NBA fans as it marked the first time three players from Montreal started an NBA game. Specifically, Luguentz Dort, Chris Boucher, and Khem Birch.

That two of those players ended up providing the majority of the highlights only served to fuel the excitement North of the Border. Dort and Boucher went back and forth in a your-turn, my-turn shoot-out early in the match hitting some ridiculous 3-point shots. Dort barrelled his way into the paint on a few occasions demonstrating just how powerful he is and his ever-improving offensive skillset.

The loss extended the Thunder streak to 10 games in a row although they didn’t manage to make up any ground on the fellow tankers – the Magic who also lost twice this weekend.

OKC Thunder versus Washington Wizards

The match in Washington is the third stop on the four-game road trip and the second game of a back-to-back set.

As for the Wizards, they are on a four-game win streak and actively trying to move up into the play-in tournament. They are on the cusp of making that happen although the Raptors aren’t making it easy winning games like Sunday without the majority of their core playing.

Westbrook is on a roll having delivered 15 triple-doubles in his last 20 games although the Wizards have won only nine of those matches. Six of those victories occurred in the last seven games with the Brodie averaging 22.9 points, 13.9 rebounds, 12.6 assists, and 1.3 steals during that itinerary segment.

The former MVP has already set the all-time Wizards triple-double record in less than a full season and is closing in on Oscar Robertson’s all-time record of 181. Russ needs 10 to tie and 11 to take over the mantle and at his current pace, it’ll happen this season.

Bradley Beal missed five games recently due to a hip injury as well as the second game of a back-to-back with the Wizards winning only one of those matches. In the last six games he’s played, Washington has won them all. Beal averaged 29.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 4.7 assists during those wins.

Beal is the current scoring leader with 31.1 with a slight edge over Stephen Curry (31.0).

Game Specifics:

Records:

Thunder: 20-37
Wizards: 23-33

The Venue: Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C.

Tipoff: 8:00 PM ET | 7:00 PM CT

TV: Fox Sports Oklahoma | NBA League Pass

Radio: WWLS 98.1 FM OKC

Injuries:

As per the NBA injury report …

OKC Thunder:

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will miss his 13th consecutive game with plantar fasciitis
Mike Muscala is out with an ankle injury missing his 18th of the last 19 games.
Josh Hall is in the concussion protocol program.
Aleksej Pokusevski will be out with a sprained right arm.
Gabriel Deck – not with the team yet

Wizards:

Davis Bertans missed the last match due to personal reasons and is listed as day-to-day.
Rui Hachimura left Saturday’s game due to knee soreness and is day-to-day.
Alex Len is dealing with an ankle injury and is listed as day-to-day.
Thomas Bryant tore his ACL and is lost for the season.

History:

This is the first meeting between the Wizards and Thunder this season. The second meeting will take place at Chesapeake Energy Arena on April 23rd.

All-time the two squads have played 137 times with the Thunder possessing a 74-63 advantage. Last season played their typical two matches with each side taking one match.

Next. Tank Wars heat up in week 17. dark

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OKC Thunder face Westbrook’s Wizards – preview

By Tamberlyn Richardson | Apr 19, 2021