Oklahoma City Thunder (5-2) at Golden State Warriors (5-3)
Tipoff: Thurs. 11/14/2013, 7:30PM PDT
Location: ORACLE Arena, Oakland, CA
TV: TNT | Radio: KNBR 680 AM
Livetweet: @LetsGoWarriors (by @goldenstatenz)
The Golden State Warriors are coming off of a blowout win against the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday night. The Warriors did just about everything right against the Pistons, and they will need to have the same kind of perfect performance if they want to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder tonight.
This game features two of the best teams in the Western Conference, and it also features some pretty exciting matchups. Two of the best point guards in the NBA go head-to-head in this matchup. Stephen Curry and Russell Westbrook play two completely different styles. Curry is the best shooter in the NBA, and Westbrook is more of a slasher because of his speed, athleticism, and explosiveness. These two point guards have completely different skillsets, but it’ll be an extremely entertaining matchup.
Another intriguing matchup is Andre Iguodala vs. Kevin Durant. As Warriors fans have seen so far this season, Iguodala is an elite defender in the NBA, so it will be fun to watch him go up against one of the best players in the league.
Klay Thompson will most likely defend Westbook, and, as mentioned before, Iguodala will guard Durant. Thompson and Iguodala will have their hands full guarding these two superstars, but, if they can contain these two players, the Warriors certainly have a chance to pull of a win.
The Thunder have a much weaker bench than they have had in the past, which favors the Warriors. They no longer have a player like James Harden or Kevin Martin to be that sparkplug off the bench that provides instant offense. Reggie Jackson is improving as a bench player but still has a long way to go in terms of development. Jeremy Lamb is expected to step up off the bench, but he’s also a very young, inexperienced player.
The Thunder might not have a deep bench, but they challenge and often dominate teams because of the elite play and pure dominance of Westbrook and Durant. The Warriors need to focus their defensive energy on stopping these two, or at least limiting the damage they cause.
Keys to the game:
1. Don’t let the dynamic duo dominate: Westbrook is only shooting 34.8 percent from the field, but he’s still averaging 19 points and 5 assists. The Thunder are a significantly better team when Westbrook is healthy. Then there’s Durant. Not only is he one of the best players in the NBA, but he’s also averaging 30.6 points per game, which leads the NBA. The Warriors need to contain these two superstars as much as they can if they want to win.
2. Keep the Thunder off the offensive glass: The Thunder are averaging 12.1 offensive rebounds per game, which ranks 7th in the NBA. The Warriors need to prevent the Thunder from getting offensive rebounds, because they lead to second-chance points. The Warriors can’t give the Thunder more opportunities to score.
3. Push the tempo: The Thunder will be playing their second game of a back-to-back tonight, and it will also be their second game against a team that plays with an up-tempo style. After losing to the Los Angeles Clippers last night, the Warriors need to get in transition, make the Thunder run, and tire them out.
4. Share the ball: The Warriors can boast that every starter they have is an above-average passer. Not many teams can say that, so the Warriors need to continue to play unselfishly and share the ball. The Warriors are 3-0 this season when they get at least 28 assists as a team.
With Toney Douglas out with a stress reaction, Iguodala will continue to see minutes as the backup point guard. In this role last game against the Pistons, he had 11 assists, which made him the second forward this season to have multiple games with 10-plus assists (the other forward is LeBron James).
5. Big night from Klay Thompson: Klay has proven that he’s started to develop into a complete player. The one thing he still needs to work on is consistency. Many times, he will have a 20 or 30-point night and then follow it up with a poor shooting performance. On Tuesday against the Pistons, Klay shot 6-for-9 and had 14 points. He needs to continue to shoot the ball well if the Warriors are going to win. This could be challenge for him, since he could be guarded by a great defender, Thabo Sefolosha. Klay needs to step up for his team tonight.
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