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| Richard Rowe-US PRESSWIRE |
An Oklahoma City Thunder Blog
Showing posts with label game preview. Show all posts
Showing posts with label game preview. Show all posts
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Game Preview - Thunder vs Bulls
The Oklahoma City Thunder (40-15) take on the Chicago Bulls (32-23) tonight at the Peake'. Oklahoma City leads the season series 1-0. This is the second and final meeting between the two teams this season.
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Time to beat the Heat
The Oklahoma City Thunder (39-13) are battling the Miami Heat (35-14) tonight at the Peake'. It's the second and last game of the series, in which the Thunder are trailing 0-1.
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Game Preview - Thunder vs Jazz
The Oklahoma City Thunder (39-12) take on the Utah Jazz (28-24) tonight at the Energy Solutions Arena. This is the second meeting between the two teams, and the Thunder lead the series 1-0 after a 106-94 victory back on November 30th.
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| Photo by Angela Rowe | OKC Thunder photo |
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Game Preview - Thunder vs Suns
The Oklahoma City Thunder (38-12) take on the Phoenix Suns (17-34) tonight in Phoenix. Oklahoma City leads the season series 3-0 and this will be the last meeting between the two teams this season.
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| AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki |
Friday, February 8, 2013
Game Preview - Thunder vs Suns
The Oklahoma City Thunder (37-12) take on the Phoenix Suns (17-33) tonight at the Peake'. OKC leads the season series 2-0. The last two games of the series will be played back-to-back as the Thunder visit the Suns in Phoenix after tonight's game.
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.
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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.
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Game Preview - Thunder vs Warriors
The Oklahoma City Thunder (36-12) are taking on the Golden State Warriors (30-18) tonight at the Peake. The season series is tied 1-1 between the two teams.
Thunder's previous game: The Thunder man handled the Dallas Mavericks on Monday after an impressive all-around performance by the Thunder and specifically their defense. Oklahoma City held Dallas to just 41% shooting and 18% from beyond the arc. Dallas turned the ball over 14 times for 23 Thunder points, and was absolutely demolished in the fast break - out scored by the Thunder 25-11. Oklahoma City lead by as many as 33 points, and the Thunder Starters didn't play a minute of the fourth quarter.
Last meeting with Golden State: The Warriors over came the Thunder after a fourth quarter surge, where they were able to hold the Thunder to only 33% shooting and forced 6 turn overs. The game was close throughout all quarters, but OKC folded in the final minutes of the game - giving up an 8 point lead midway through the fourth and allowing the Warriors to go on a 24-11 run to steal the game.
Russell Westbrook had a regrettable shooting performance - going 3-16 in the game for just 10 points, and turning the ball over 6 times compared to just 4 assists. Despite having 5 players score in double figures, the Thunder were never able to pull ahead of the Warriors and a lot had to do with turning the ball over 19 times for 24 points - as each starting Thunder player had at least 5 turn overs.
Golden State is coming off a blow out 140-109 loss to the Houston Rockets after the Rockets tied the NBA record for most three pointers made in a game as a team at 23. Houston had 8 players score in double figures and 9 players make at least 1 three pointer. The Warriors were no where near as effective from outside - shooting only shooting 20% from the three as well as turning the ball over 12 times for 18 points. Jarrett Jack was the only player to score 20 or more points for the Warriors, shooting 7-14 to go along with 5 assists, as their star player in Stephen Curry wasn't too hot coming off an injury - going 3-12 for just 7 points.
The Warriors are on of the best rebounding teams in the league, ranking fourth in the league and averaging an impressive 44.6 a game. That's not all though - as the Warriors are also first in the league from beyond the arc and can certainly light it up in a hurry, averaging 39%. It will be important for Oklahoma City to have good fundamentals tonight in order for them to avoid another loss to the Warriors.
Thunder Essentials:
Controlling the glass - The Thunder have to be able to use their size and strength in order to out rebound the Warriors - something they have been good at at times, and not so good at at others.
Defending the 3 pointer - Golden State is absolutely deadly from beyond the arc, and a lot of that has to do with Stephen Curry - who is averaging 45.3% from the 3 and is second in that department in the league. That's not their only weapon from the three, though. The Warriors possess all of the top 5 players in the 3-pt % category - so any given night you can expect them to let it rip.
Fastbreak - When the Thunder get out and run in transition, good things happen. They rank 6th in the league in fast break points a game, averaging 16.3. Tonight it will be important for Oklahoma City to get out and run in transition - and to be efficient while doing so.
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| Getty Images North America |
Thunder's previous game: The Thunder man handled the Dallas Mavericks on Monday after an impressive all-around performance by the Thunder and specifically their defense. Oklahoma City held Dallas to just 41% shooting and 18% from beyond the arc. Dallas turned the ball over 14 times for 23 Thunder points, and was absolutely demolished in the fast break - out scored by the Thunder 25-11. Oklahoma City lead by as many as 33 points, and the Thunder Starters didn't play a minute of the fourth quarter.
Last meeting with Golden State: The Warriors over came the Thunder after a fourth quarter surge, where they were able to hold the Thunder to only 33% shooting and forced 6 turn overs. The game was close throughout all quarters, but OKC folded in the final minutes of the game - giving up an 8 point lead midway through the fourth and allowing the Warriors to go on a 24-11 run to steal the game.
Russell Westbrook had a regrettable shooting performance - going 3-16 in the game for just 10 points, and turning the ball over 6 times compared to just 4 assists. Despite having 5 players score in double figures, the Thunder were never able to pull ahead of the Warriors and a lot had to do with turning the ball over 19 times for 24 points - as each starting Thunder player had at least 5 turn overs.
Golden State is coming off a blow out 140-109 loss to the Houston Rockets after the Rockets tied the NBA record for most three pointers made in a game as a team at 23. Houston had 8 players score in double figures and 9 players make at least 1 three pointer. The Warriors were no where near as effective from outside - shooting only shooting 20% from the three as well as turning the ball over 12 times for 18 points. Jarrett Jack was the only player to score 20 or more points for the Warriors, shooting 7-14 to go along with 5 assists, as their star player in Stephen Curry wasn't too hot coming off an injury - going 3-12 for just 7 points.
The Warriors are on of the best rebounding teams in the league, ranking fourth in the league and averaging an impressive 44.6 a game. That's not all though - as the Warriors are also first in the league from beyond the arc and can certainly light it up in a hurry, averaging 39%. It will be important for Oklahoma City to have good fundamentals tonight in order for them to avoid another loss to the Warriors.
Thunder Essentials:
Controlling the glass - The Thunder have to be able to use their size and strength in order to out rebound the Warriors - something they have been good at at times, and not so good at at others.
Defending the 3 pointer - Golden State is absolutely deadly from beyond the arc, and a lot of that has to do with Stephen Curry - who is averaging 45.3% from the 3 and is second in that department in the league. That's not their only weapon from the three, though. The Warriors possess all of the top 5 players in the 3-pt % category - so any given night you can expect them to let it rip.
Fastbreak - When the Thunder get out and run in transition, good things happen. They rank 6th in the league in fast break points a game, averaging 16.3. Tonight it will be important for Oklahoma City to get out and run in transition - and to be efficient while doing so.
Monday, February 4, 2013
Game Preview - Thunder vs Mavericks
The Oklahoma City Thunder (35-12) take on the Dallas Mavericks (20-27) tonight at the Peake. The Thunder are leading the season series 2-0 coming into the game.
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| (AP Photo/Tony Dejak) |
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