The NBA season is drawing to a close with only two weekends of regular-season gameplay remaining. The OKC Thunder are in action in a back-to-back on Saturday and Sunday.
First, they’ll finish up the two-game mini-series in San Francisco versus their old nemesis the Golden State Warriors.
There isn’t much angst involved these days as the clubs have very different strategies in mind. The Dubs are trying to get back to the show and win now around Steph Curry’s prime while the Thunder gear up to dominant the league in the future (I mean it can’t hurt to put that thought into the universe right?)
OKC Thunder keys versus the Golden State Warriors:
To reach their lofty goals VP Sam Presti will begin to take advantage of that massively stocked draft closet beginning this year. As such in their final handful of games, the Thunder will be intent on collecting the “L” and as a secondary focus be monitoring how the players respond and are growing.
Ty Jerome stood out in the loss Thursday. As Intentions noted in player grades he could’ve registered a new career-best (he ended up tying) if he’d played more particularly in the third quarter.
Today will perhaps be a harder task to find a standout especially if the recent injury report is accurate. Luguentz Dort was in and out of the lineup for a hip contusion but the update suggests he is experiencing tendinitis in his knee (specifically the patellar tendon). As per the grades it was clear something was bothering Dort on Thursday based on his movement seeming less sharp or response time as quick.
It’s a wise decision to rest him if he’s less than 100 percent. With the club actively hunting losses why push Dort who could end up suffering a bad, longer-term injury in a game with no relevance other than getting the loss.
Of course, that means Stephen Curry is likely to have a field day but maybe Mark Daigneault can find a willing guard to chase him all over the court. Even with Dort draped on him, Steph scored 34 in 31 minutes connecting on six of his 13 attempts from beyond the arc.
OKC will need to rebound better in this match especially since OKC has the height and length advantage. Losing by 10 (39-49) isn’t acceptable under those circumstances. It speaks more to effort when a shorter team is dominating on the boards.
The third key point will be to be sharper defensively — Mychal Mulder can’t be left WIDE OPEN for 3-pointers all game long. It’s okay if the team is also invested in improving the team’s draft position but they need to finish out the season taking pride in their defensive prowess and keeping opponents honest.
Game specifics:
Records:
- Thunder: 21-46
- Warriors: 34-33
The Venue: Chase Center, San Francisco, California
Tipoff: 10:00 PM ET | 9:00 PM CT
TV: Fox Sports Oklahoma | NBA League Pass
Radio: WWLS 98.1 FM OKC
Injuries:
The report is essentially the same as Thursday with a few tweaks and most notably to Lu Dort. To view the injury updates as they occur visit the NBA injury report.
More from Thunderous Intentions
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- 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:
- Luguentz Dort is noted as questionable with right knee; patellar tendinitis
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander remains out healing from plantar fasciitis.
- Mike Muscala – ankle injury – out .
- Al Horford is shut down.
- Aleksej Pokusevski didn’t play Tuesday due to a left knee contusion and is once again listed as out .
Warriors:
- Kelly Oubre Jr. (wrist) missed the last three games was upgraded from doubtful to out.
- Eric Paschall (hip) out indefinitely.
- Klay Thompson – (Achilles) out for the season.
- James Wiseman is also done for the season with a torn meniscus.
- Damion Lee – health and safety protocols is out
History:
The Golden State Warriors will look for the sweep of this season with a win today having won both prior matches. The first game between the Golden State Warriors and OKC Thunder took place at Chesapeake Energy Arena on April 14th with the Dubs winning 147-109.
This last game and tonight’s match are both occurring at the Chase Center. Golden State won the May 6th contest 118-97. The player grades from the game can be found here.
All-time the squads have played 255 times in total with the Thunder possessing the advantage of 143 wins versus 112 wins.
In the 2019-20 campaign the clubs played three matches with the OKC Thunder sweeping that regular-season series.