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Oklahoma City Thunder
vs
Milwaukee Bucks
Preview
The History
Milwaukee has much in common with Oklahoma City, after struggling last season both have come out and posted records above .500. Milwaukee comes in for the final game in a 4 game road trip, after winning the first against Memphis they have dropped two straight to San Antonio and New Orleans. If the Thunder is really a playoff caliber team they win this game at home. Oklahoma City is coming off a good win over Utah where they did several things right most notably the ball movement on offense. Shawn Livingston is still out as is Kevin Ollie, and after the great performance at Utah Kyle Weaver is doubtful for tonight with a shoulder injury. The Thunder signed Mike Wilks to provide a little depth at the point guard.
The Matchups
Brandon Jennings v Russell Westbrook
At this point Jennings and Westbrook have almost the same stat line, Jennings scores a little more and Westbrook gets more assists. Jennings also shoots the three more than Westbrook but Westbrook gets to the line much more than Jennings. After watching Sefolosha shut down Williams at Utah I imagine Brooks will put him on Jennings if Westbrook struggles to keep him under control. Jennings will be tested to keep Westbrook out of the lane without fouling.
Edge Push
Charlie Bell v Thabo Sefolosha
Bell has stepped it up a bit on this road trip, he posted a season high 19 points at Memphis to go with 9 at San Antonio and 12 at New Orleans. Sefolosha is still trying to find his shot at times, after shooting over .467 on 20 shots against Washington and Los Angeles he put up a 1-6 at Utah. Sefolosha will probably start the night on Bell but if Westbrook is unable to contain Jennings then Sefolosha will probably be called on to stop the bleeding.
Edge
Carlos Deflino v Kevin Durant
Against Utah KD was flirting with a double double and even had the possibility of getting the triple double. He finished with 28 points 5 rebounds and 8 assists, showing improvement in his passing and decision making. The Thunder probably rely too much on Durant but when he is hot he is unstoppable. Delfino has had a couple of breakout nights but is not in Durant's league as far as scoring is concerned. His best game of the season was against the winless Nets he had 21 points, 4 rebounds, and 6 assists.
Edge
Ersan Ilyasova v Jeff Green
Ilyasova is a small forward playing power forward, where have we heard this before. Jeff Green plays a much bigger part in the Thunder offense than Ilyasova does in the Buck offense. Green played a big part in the win over Utah he was able to make his shots and even work down in the low post against the bigger Milsap. Tonight Green should be able to take Ilyasova down low and provide consistent points in the paint.
Edge
Dan Gadzuric v Nenad Krstic
The Bucks sure miss Andrew Bogut. Dan Gadzuric has been forced into the starting lineup due to the injury to the big Aussie. Gadzuric may be the starter but Kurt Thomas has been getting the lion's share of the minutes down low for the Bucks. Krstic has stepped up in a couple of games when the Thunder needed a scoring threat to compliment the big three, but the Thunder need him to be more consistent and getting a few more rebounds wouldn't hurt either.
Edge
Bench v Bench
Luke Ridnour has done a good job of playing backup to Jennings; he already has two double doubles on this road trip. Hakim Warrick is another good matchup for Green a smallish power forward that doesn't rebound particularly well although he is averaging 11 points a game this season. Kurt Thomas may not start but he has been playing the majority of the minutes down low, and so far this season he only has one game in which he shot less than .500. Michael Redd is coming off an injury that has forced him to miss a large part of the season; he played 30 minutes in the loss to New Orleans, shot 4-16 for 11 points, and 4 assists.
The Thunder bench has taken something of a hit the past couple of weeks Shawn Livingston, Kevin Ollie, Nick Collison, and Kyle Weaver all have been forced out with injuries. In Collisons absence Ibaka has really has come in and played very well. Thomas continues to provide solid defense and rebounding when called in. Harden followed his 2-15 night in Los Angeles with a very efficient 4-5 at Utah. Harden is going to get a lot of minutes as the Thunder deal with all these injuries and will need to step up and play well to help steady the ship.
Edge
The Prediction
The Bucks have built their 8-5 schedule pretty much at home against mediocre teams; their best win is at home against Denver. Utah used to be scary at home, but after watching the Thunder beat the Jazz in front of a listless crowd I wonder if the ESA has lost a little something. Regardless the Thunder have played a much tougher schedule and have better wins. The Thunder should win this one at home the key will be keeping Jennings under control and moving the ball on offense.
Thunder win 98-89
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