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| Mark D. Smith - USA Today Sports |
Thunder's previous game: The Thunder's big three came through in the blow out 119-98 win over the Golden State Warriors last Wednesday, avenging their previous loss the the Warriors just a week prior. The Thunder used a big first half in which they held the Warriors to just 37% shooting and forced 11 turn overs for 19 points.
Serge Ibaka was huge in the first half - racking up 4 blocks to go along with 13 points on an impressive 6-7 shooting. Though the Warriors would make the suspected late game run, closing the gap to just 11 points with just 4 minutes remaining the in third - Kevin Martin and the 2nd unit would have none of it. The Thunder extended their lead back up to 23 thanks to a spectacular fourth, in which the second year back-up point guard Reggie Jackson went off for 10 of his career-high 12 points - to go along with K-Martin's 10 points on 4-5 shooting.
Last meeting with the Suns: Kevin Durant lead the charge in Phoenix last time these teams met - going off for 41 points to go along with the Honey-Badger's 36 and 8 in the 102-90 victory. After dominating Phoenix in the first half, out scoring them in the paint 30-14, the Thunder were able to dim the Sun's light in the fourth behind Kevin Durant - who scored 19 of the Thunder's 30 fourth quarter points on 8-13 shooting (2-3 3-point).
Phoenix dropped their last game to the Hornets 93-84, despite 5 players scoring in double figures - none of which scored more than 14 points. The Suns shot a poor 44% on the game but their problem was turning the ball over. The Hornets were able to score 18 points off of 17 Phoenix turn overs as the Suns had no answer for New Orlean's fast break - which out scored Phoenix 16-6 and dominated the paint, out scoring the Suns 56-42.
The Suns are one of the worst teams in the league, but are certainly capable of playing well on any given night if everything comes together for them. They have fantastic big men in Luis Scola, Marcin Gortat, and Michael Beasley that can score and attack the offensive glass. Phoenix is ranked 17th in the league in offensive rebounding, averaging 11.2 a game and can score the ball inside very well - averaging 40 points in the paint a game. The Thunder have shown success in defending the paint against the Suns before, which will be key for an easy win tonight.
Thunder Essentials:
Russell Westbrook - The Honey-Badger is averaging 30 points a game on just over 50% shooting to go along with 7 assists and 7.5 boards. Russ has a big mismatch against Goran Dragic in the post, as he does against most point guards, so expect him to take advantage of this tonight and capitalize on the line and the bank shot.
Points in the Paint - Oklahoma City is ranked 12th in the league in this department and they're averaging 42.0 a game. They have shown success in the post against the Suns this season - averaging 49.0 a game on nearly 60% shooting.
Limit second chance points - If Phoenix has any strong suit, this would be it. They can be monsters on the glass on any given night and have been able to capitalize on the Thunder's poor defensive rebounding before. If the Thunder wants to end the game before the fourth quarter, they can't allow the Suns to do have their way with the ball tonight.
Phoenix dropped their last game to the Hornets 93-84, despite 5 players scoring in double figures - none of which scored more than 14 points. The Suns shot a poor 44% on the game but their problem was turning the ball over. The Hornets were able to score 18 points off of 17 Phoenix turn overs as the Suns had no answer for New Orlean's fast break - which out scored Phoenix 16-6 and dominated the paint, out scoring the Suns 56-42.
The Suns are one of the worst teams in the league, but are certainly capable of playing well on any given night if everything comes together for them. They have fantastic big men in Luis Scola, Marcin Gortat, and Michael Beasley that can score and attack the offensive glass. Phoenix is ranked 17th in the league in offensive rebounding, averaging 11.2 a game and can score the ball inside very well - averaging 40 points in the paint a game. The Thunder have shown success in defending the paint against the Suns before, which will be key for an easy win tonight.
Thunder Essentials:
Russell Westbrook - The Honey-Badger is averaging 30 points a game on just over 50% shooting to go along with 7 assists and 7.5 boards. Russ has a big mismatch against Goran Dragic in the post, as he does against most point guards, so expect him to take advantage of this tonight and capitalize on the line and the bank shot.
Points in the Paint - Oklahoma City is ranked 12th in the league in this department and they're averaging 42.0 a game. They have shown success in the post against the Suns this season - averaging 49.0 a game on nearly 60% shooting.
Limit second chance points - If Phoenix has any strong suit, this would be it. They can be monsters on the glass on any given night and have been able to capitalize on the Thunder's poor defensive rebounding before. If the Thunder wants to end the game before the fourth quarter, they can't allow the Suns to do have their way with the ball tonight.
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