Oklahoma City Thunder vs Golden State Warriors Inactives: ace defender on the shelf

The Oklahoma City Thunder go up against the Golden State Warriors on Friday Night in the Paycom Center as the Thunder look to rebound from a lackluster performance in Houston.

This contest represents the fourth time these two teams have faced off with each other, but just the second meeting in Oklahoma City. The last time out against Golden State, the Thunder pulled off a dramatic win in overtime. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander even sparked a little controversy with his social media post.

Now, the two sides meet after what is arguably the worst loss of Oklahoma City's season. Still, the Thunder walks into this game with a 13-7 record, while the Warriors sit at 10-11.

Oklahoma City Thunder vs Golden State Warriors Inactives: Defensive ace sidelined for this contest.

The Oklahoma City Thunder's G League affiliate, the OKC Blue, plays in the same arena as the Thunder, which often provides double-header days for the Bricktown boys.

It also allows the Thunder to shuffle players down to the G League with ease while keeping them connected to the varsity squad. In today's game against the Osceola Magic, the Thunder sent Ousmane Dieng, Lindy Waters III, Olivier Sarr, and Keyontae Johnson to the Blue.

All four players are listed as out tonight on the injury report but should be recalled following this afternoon's Blue contest. As far as health goes, the Thunder are still fully healthy a month into the season.

For Golden State, they will be without their defensive ace Gary Payton II who is still dealing with a calf strain. Steve Kerr's squad will have to work around Payton II's absence but have their other rotational mainstays for this game against the Thunder.

This is always a game that floods both fanbases with emotions after so many historic battles in years past. The Warriors will attempt to split the season series, while the Thunder are hoping to own a season series win, which could be huge for tiebreakers in the up and down Western Conference.

So far this season, the road team has won every matchup between these two teams, including the Warriors knocking off a Shai Gilgeous-Alexander-less Thunder team in the Paycom Center in the first-ever In-Season Tournament pool play game in November.