OKC Thunder vs. Warriors: Tanking and play-in objectives are top of mind

So far week 20 for the OKC Thunder is going according to plan. On Tuesday, they lost to the depleted Kings while keeping the game competitive.

That loss impacted the tank wars drawing OKC even with the Magic (who beat the Pistons) and the Cavaliers. All three are tied for fourth-best odds to win the top draft pick. They also spit the season series versus the Thunder, however, OKC has the worst conference win/loss percentage giving them the tiebreak edge.

Minnesota almost made it a perfect scenario but fell in the closing minute to the Grizzlies. With six games remaining the Wolves have one more loss than the above trio but play both the Pistons and Magic which could impact the bottom of the tank ladder. Detroit has two additional losses.

Suffice to say scoreboard watching has taken on a whole new meaning this season down the stretch.

OKC Thunder match versus the Golden State Warriors:

Tonight the Thunder will play the first of two consecutive games versus the Warriors. Golden State is mired in their own battle a little higher up the ladder. They are currently seeded ninth a half-game behind the eighth-seeded Grizzlies (thanks to that win versus the Wolves) and a half-game up on the Spurs.

Their goal is to get up to that eighth seed and try to win the initial seven-eight play-in game.

Like many teams, the Dubs are dealing with a host of injuries. The most recent being Kelly Oubre Jr. who has a torn ligament in his wrist and a fracture located in his palm but is hoping to play through it.

Earlier this week the Dubs played a back-to-back set versus the Pelicans. New Orleans was hoping to use the three games scheduled against the Warriors to move up but trail them by three after spitting the B2B set.

Stephen Curry won the Kia NBA Western Conference Player of the Month for April. The two-time MVP reminded fans why he won the award and still is a top-five player.

His run of 11 games scoring 30 or more points broke Kobe Bryant’s record. Through the last 17 games, he’s averaging 37.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 0.9 steals. Not surprisingly, he’s blistering hot from the perimeter in this timeframe shooing 45.6 percent on 14.5 attempts per game.

ESPN writer Ramona Shelburne wrote a must-read on Curry’s effect on the Dubs and the exuberance he brings to the court. Shelburne notes the Warriors are 1-7 in games Curry doesn’t play equating to 10-72 in a typical season.

Assuming Luguentz Dort plays he’ll have the unenviable task of chasing Curry all over the court and trying to limit him to less than 30 points and keep things calm on the perimeter. Good luck with that Lu!

As for keys to the match, the keys are precisely the same as the last match which you can view here.

Game specifics:

Records:

• Thunder: 21-45
• Warriors: 33-33

The Venue:  Chase Center, Oakland, California

Tipoff:  10:00 PM ET  | 9:00 PM CT

TV: Fox Sports  Oklahoma | NBA League Pass

Radio: WWLS 98.1 FM OKC

Injuries:

In what can only be deemed a bit of cat and mouse – neither team submitted their updated injury report to the NBA.  When teams are playing the night prior it’s understandable, but both teams were idle Wednesday. That occurs The following is referenced from the NBA injury report but as of this posting, the Golden State Warriors Jazz had not updated their entry as of posting.

More from Thunderous Intentions

• Stealing one player from every Southwest Division team for the OKC Thunder
• Should the OKC Thunder chase after a disgruntled hometown hero?
• 3 OKC Thunder players who can step up in Aleksej Pokusevski’s absence
• Aleksej Pokusevski sidelined approximately 6 weeks with ankle injury
• Damian Lillard does not fit with the OKC Thunder

OKC Thunder:

• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – an injury update from coach Mark Daigneault indicates the tear n SGA’s fascia was more severe than initially reported. With only six games remaining it’s virtually guaranteed he won’t play again this season.
• Mike Muscala – unless he had some sort of surgical procedure the number of games he’s missed isn’t in line with a grade two ankle sprain. Rather, this was a similar move to Horford with the view of giving the youngsters more experience and time to develop.
• Al Horford is shut down.
• Aleksej Pokusevski didn’t play Tuesday due to a left knee contusion.
• Of note: three others who weren’t on the injury report Tuesday but received a DNP CD (did not play – coach’s decision) were Kenrich Williams, Charlie Brown, and Tony Bradley. That could simply be so Daigneault got a better look at others. It could be to ensure the loss or perhaps there are nagging injuries one or all could’ve played through.

Warriors:

• Kelly Oubre Jr. missed the last two games with left wrist soreness and is doubtful for Wednesday.
• Eric Paschall is out indefinitely with a hip injury.
• Klay Thompson –  is out for the season recovering from a torn Achilles tendon.
• James Wiseman is also done for the season with a torn meniscus.
• Damion Lee is out due to health and safety protocols.

History:

All three meetings between the OKC Thunder and Golden State Warriors are occurring late in the season. The initial meeting between the Golden State Warriors and OKC Thunder took place on April 14th with the Warriors winning 147-109.

These next two games tonight and Saturday will complete the season series.

Over the course of history, the clubs have played 254 times in total with the Thunder possessing the advantage of 143 wins versus 111 wins.

Last season, OKC and the Dubs played three times with the Thunder winning all three contests.