The OKC Thunder head into December with their matchup against the Houston Rockets in downtown Oklahoma City at the Paycom Center. This begins a month full of home games for the holiday season in OKC. The Thunder will look to snap a six-game losing streak and earn their first win of the year against the Houston Rockets on Wednesday evening.
The Thunder are 6-14, with a 2-8 record in their last ten games, and will attempt to get back on track against the Rocketships flying in from Houston. As our media session with head coach Mark Daigneault wrapped up, I brewed a cup of coffee and got ready for tip-off hammering away coverage from the pre-tip-off meeting.
The OKC Thunder will be without their star rookie, sixth overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, Josh Giddey. The team will also be without Derrick Favors, Kenrich Williams, and Mike Muscala.
The Oklahoma City Thunder listed Darius Bazley as questionable, and have since announced he will play and start tonight, while the team recalled Gabriel Deck and Vit Krejci from the OKC Blue to make them available for this game.
OKC Thunder rookie Tre Mann earns his first start
Without Josh Giddey, the Oklahoma City Thunder will need to fill a hole within their traditional starting five and Mark Daigneault announced that accompanying Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Lu Dort, Darius Bazley, and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl will be Rookie guard Tre Mann.
Mann, drafted 18th overall in the 2021 NBA Draft will fill in for Josh Giddey while he is out with the flu you would have to imagine this will be the same starting five tomorrow on the second night of a back-to-back against Memphis.
The Florida product, whose former team is down the road in Norman getting set to take on the Sooners, has seen an uptick in minutes recently with strong production to follow so it is no surprise he is rewarded with this start.
Mark Daigneault also announced the Thunder will put Paul Watson Jr, Theo Maledon, and Isaiah Roby back into the rotation this game.