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Oklahoma City Thunder
vs
Sacramento Kings
Preview
The History
Sacramento seems like a long time ago now, but just under 2 weeks ago they served as the home opener for the Thunder. In a game that served to energize the Thunder fans and set a new benchmark for success the Thunder claimed victory over the Kings 102-89. This would be the first game Thabo Sefolosha would frustrate and limit an established scorer but it wouldn't be the last. This time around the Kings are in even worse position to get the win as Kevin Martin, who led the Kings with 27 points, will not be playing.
The Matchups
Tyreke Evans v Russell Westbrook
With Kevin Martin out of the picture the Kings are leaning heavily on Evans and other rookies for contributions. Evans has stepped up and currently has the rookie of the year award all but wrapped up. In the first game Westbrook did a good job of keeping Evans under wraps while Thabo spent most of his time on Martin. Westbrook has improved by leaps and bounds as the season has progressed. His shooting percentage is still low but he is taking mostly good shots after struggling with shot selection early in the season. He continues to be a triple double threat most any night, Westbrook has had double digit assists in 4 of the last 5.
Edge
Ime Udoka v Thabo Sefolosha
The Kings are still trying to get their rotation sorted out. Udoka is too short to really challenge Durant so the Kings may go with Udrih to get some better ball handling in the game. If Udoka is in he will try and cover Durant. Sefolosha will probably spend most of his time defending Casspi. He has shown a nice midrange game and continues to be an above average rebounder and defender.
Edge
Omri Casspi v Kevin Durant
The other of the Kings rookies that are playing a big part this season is Omri Casspi. Casspi is a good shot from beyond the arc and will probably see a lot of Thabo Sefolosha tonight. Durant's streak of games with 25 points now stands at 2, he needs 44 points tonight to retake the scoring lead, and is just an awesome basketball player.
Edge
Carl Landry v Jeff Green
Landry played the Thunder twice as a member of the Rockets. Both games he had 20 points and 9-10 rebounds. Jeff Green has really stepped up his game since then, it will be interesting to see how far his defense has come while he checks Landry. The biggest improvement to Green's game has been on the defensive side of the ball. Although he was in a slump the first half of the season Green has come on the last 20 games or so.
Edge Push
Spencer Hawes v Nenad Krstic
The last two games Hawes has been big for the Kings. Against the Thunder he has been good but not spectacular. He isn't the most athletic big man around so Krstic's defense should be solid. Krstic has hit double digits in 3 of the last 5 games, the only two he didn't were losses to San Antonio and Phoenix. Krstic has been doing much better down low in the post in February now let's see if he can carry it over into the new month.
Edge Push
Bench v Bench
Beno Udrih has been up and down all year, he just had a poor game against the Clippers so tonight should be his up. A solid shooter and good from three the Thunder will need to make sure to close out on him should he catch the ball beyond the arc. Francisco Garcia is the other member of the Kings bench that gets regular playtime. Garcia is generally good for 6-9 point on about the same number of shots. Sean May has been disappointing since signing with the Kings. The Kings bench has gotten much smaller with the injury to Jason Thompson.
The Thunder rotation of Collison, Ibaka, Harden, and Maynor has been solid all season long but we are coming to the end of the college season and rookies Harden and Maynor are maybe feeling the effects of the more rigourous pro schedule. Maynor seemed to hit a wall but has responded well to the benching he received. Harden continues to shoot but is struggling to create for his teammates like he did early in the season. Ibaka is a rookie but he is coming from the upper level Spanish leagues so the schedule grind is probably not as bad for him. Collison is the heady vet providing the leadership and doing the dirty work.
Edge
The Prediction
The Thunder need to prove they are a playoff team. This Kings team is one of the better teams that will finish out of the playoffs and they could jump up and surprise someone expecting an easy win. This is the last home game before the Thunder head out on a three game road trip to Denver, LA, and Sacramento.
The Thunder get a win tonight 105-92.
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