Justin Cooper
December 5, 2018
The surging Oklahoma City Thunder (15-7) roll into the Barclays Center Wednesday night to battle a struggling Brooklyn Nets team (8-17), currently on a seven game slide. Twenty-two games into the season, the Thunder are white-hot, having won 15 of their last 18 contests after a troubling 0-4 start that now feels like a distant memory. The fledgling Nets, currently tied for 11th with the Knicks in the East, are reeling since losing young shooting guard Caris LeVert to ligament damage due to a gruesome subtalar dislocation in his right foot sustained in a November 12 matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Since the injury, the Nets have dropped 9 of their last 11 games, including all 7 at home. The Thunder, on the other hand, are trending in the opposite direction having won 5 of their last 6 games, including a quality road win in Detroit Monday night where the Thunder showed the league just how suffocating this defense can be against a quality Pistons squad, ending Detroit’s 5 game hot streak.
In nearly every metric, the Thunder have the advantage in this matchup; points per game (111.0-108.6), points allowed (103.6-111.0), rebounds (58.4-54.0), assists (22.5-22.4), steals (10.4-6.7), blocks (5.8-4.0), points in the paint (51.9-48.7), fast break points (15.5-9.1), all favor the Thunder. For their part, the Nets can light it up from three when they get going, shooting 34.8 per game (5th) and converting 34.5% (21st) on the season. Joe Harris (who is expected to be back from injury this evening), Spencer Dinwiddie, and D’Angelo Russell are shooting 44%, 36.2%, and 35.6% respectively on a combined 18 attempts per game from distance. Expect the Thunder to continue their emphasis on solid team defense, effectively closing out on the perimeter limiting the Nets three point attempts, while Adams, Grant, and Noel maintain their stingy play around the rim. The Thunder will also try to turn this into a fast-paced affair, pressuring careless Nets turnovers and controlling the defensive glass, further defining the team’s defense to offense identity. The Nets should not expect anything to come easy tonight versus this stifling Thunder defense.
Last season, when the Thunder had an ugly tendency to underperform against sub-.500 clubs, this matchup versus a Brooklyn Nets team desperate for a win would have felt like a trap game. This Thunder team seems much less likely to sleep on lesser competition. Vegas gives Oklahoma City a -7 spread in tonight’s contest. We expect the Thunder to beat the spread and improve to 16-7 on the season while vying for the top spot in the Western Conference standings.
Tipoff is at 6:30PM CST and the game will be broadcast on Fox Sports Oklahoma.
Sound of Thunder 