The OKC Thunder will play have completed half of their preseason games with the next two games facing the same opponent – the Denver Nuggets.
Through two matches the Thunder have struggled particularly offensively although they fared better in the second match. In game one they fell 113-97 to the youthful Charlotte Hornets. The Bucks Big 3 returned to the hardcourt in front of their hometown crowd easily capturing a 130-110 victory.
Halfway through their preseason schedule, the next two matches will feature the Denver Nuggets with tonight’s game held at the Paycom Center and Thursday’s contest in the BOK Center in Tulsa Oklahoma.
OKC Thunder vs Denver Nuggets – preseason preview, keys to match
One team will register their first preseason win as the clubs are 0-5 collectively to this point. Much like the match versus the Bucks this contest offers some major talent to contend with.
The reigning MVP, Nikola Jokic has been impressive in two outings with limited playing time. Against the Warriors, he posted a double-double (17 points, 10 rebounds) and came one rebound shy of a triple-double against the Wolves.
Will Barton re-signed with the Nuggets which wasn’t a guarantee to happen after a few years of injury woes and debates over his role on the squad. The presumption is he’ll be in the starting lineup especially with Jamal Murray out injured.
The OKC Thunder big men once again have a tall task. After facing Giannis Antetokounmpo they get to face the Joker. Assuming Malone elects to play him to gain some chemistry with that starting rotation it’s also equally likely the core starters will be on a minute’s restriction.
Through two games rookie, Josh Giddey has been impressive. Versus the Hornets, he showcased offensive excellence (18 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists). Against the Bucks, Giddey offered a bit of everything with nine points, six rebounds, and six assists with no turnovers.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luguentz Dort have logged limited minutes (17 and 19) through two games. Their offensive prowess was on display in the two matches with Dort lighting it up from the perimeter. Dort is 7 of 12 or a 58.3 percent efficiency. If the Canadian continues to shine as a 3-ball sniper watch for his name to climb to the top of the league as the best 3 and D player.
In contrast, Aleksej Pokusevski has struggled to find his range shooting 5 of 18 through two matches and 2 of 11 from deep. Perhaps more concerning is his lack of assists (2). Let’s write it off as shaking off the rust and hope he finds the range in one of these two matches against Denver.
Although each team has stars perhaps the most intriguing players to watch will be the youngsters on both teams. “Bones” Nah’Shon Hyland has delivered for the Nuggets scoring 19 versus the Clippers, 11 against the Dubs, and 21 versus the Wolves including a 3-pointer with at 10.5 of the fourth quarter prior to the Wolves sending the match to overtime.
Through three matches the Nuggets are registering the 17th ranked offense and 20th ranked defense. Alternatively, the Thunder rank 22nd offensively and 29th defensively through their two preseason contests.
Nuggets starting lineup:
A common denominator has emerged for the Denver Nuggets in their three preseason games. They’ve been in every match but failed to capture a win losing by one bucket each time.
In their opening preseason game, the Nuggets lost by a single point (102-103) to the LA Clippers. Although Nikola Jokic didn’t participate in this contest Michael Porter Jr. was on hand to lead the Nuggets scoring attack with 23 points in 22 minutes of action.
Denver kept up the trend of losing close games falling in their second preseason game 116-118 to the Golden State Warriors. In this outing, Jokic posting a double-double in just 16 minutes of action but MPJ sat for this match.
Denver’s starting core was all on hand in game three facing the Minnesota Timberwolves each logging at least 25 minutes. And you guessed it -Denver made it three for three losing by a single bucket this time in overtime (112-114).
With the team’s playing on back-to-back nights it’s anyone’s guess who Michael Malone will elect to dress. That said it would be logical for the Nuggets coach to split up his roster and focus on the players who they are still making decisions about to add to the roster. If Malone opts to utilize his starters from Friday’s match then the starting five should be:
Monte Morris, P.J. Dozier, Aaron Gordon, Michael Porter Jr. and Nikola Jokic. Other options could include Jeff Green who started versus the Clippers and Austin Rivers who was in the starting rotation versus the Warriors.
Bucks Injuries:
Will Barton hasn’t appeared in a preseason game yet dealing with a sprained left ankle but is expected to be available tonight.
Other Nuggets who didn’t log minutes in the last match include Tarik Black, two-way player Petr Cornelie and rookie Matt Ryan. All three were coach’s DNP decisions.
OKC Thunder starting lineup:
Head coach Mark Daigneault told the media he’ll play the young guys in both games of the back-to-back to expose them to that type of competition. The Thunder had the advantage of almost a week off between the first and second preseason matches but will finish their schedule playing three games in five nights.
"“I think that’s one of the advantages of going back-to-back in the preseason. I don’t think its necessarily beneficial for the returners, but for [the young guys] it’s 100 percent good. We plan on playing those guys in both of [the games] just for that reason – to get them conditioned to what it feels like when you’ve got to get yourself ready to play on that third night.”"
Through two matches the OKC Thunder have utilized their core returnees with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luguentz Dort, and Darius Bazley starting in both matches. Rookie Josh Giddey also got the nod while Isaiah Roby started versus the Hornets and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl got the nod versus the Bucks.
Presumably, Daigneault will elect to use his core starting trio in one of the two matches and go with the reserves and youngsters only in one game. Although, his comments above could result in SGA, Dort, and Bazley getting some time off while the coaching staff searches for lineup chemistry.
One player who Thunder fans can expect to see Wednesday is Derrick Favors who missed the initial two preseason games as he recovered from knee soreness.
OKC Thunder injuries:
As noted Favors is expected to play while there is uncertainty about Vit Krejci who is dealing with visa issues. Kenrich Williams is questionable with a toe injury.
On Sunday, the players who didn’t get minutes aside from the above two are Gabriel Deck, Isaiah Roby, and two-way player Paul Watson. All three were coach’s decision DNP’s.
Game Specifics:
Tip-off: the game starts at 7:00 p.m. Central Time (8:00 p.m. EST)
Where to watch the game: Bally Sports Oklahoma of NBA League Pass
Radio: WWLS 98.1 FM