Oklahoma City Thunder

at

Dallas Mavericks

Preview

The story so far

The Thunder are out of the playoffs for the moment, Dallas currently is sitting in the 2 seed. The first matchup between the Thunder and the Mavs was disappointing for Thunder fans, the Thunder were mired in the midst of the toughest portion of their schedule and had just come off back to back losses to Cleveland and Denver. Today the Thunder are coming off a heartbreaking overtime loss to the Spurs that saw the Thunder offense stagnant in crunch time. The Thunder have done a good job of rebounding from losses to come out and play with passion in the next game, and they will need to keep that trend alive if they are going to win tonight. Dallas is coming off losses to Utah and the Lakers, how fitting it would be if the Thunder handed them their third straight loss in the same way they beat the Thunder earlier. The Thunder can get back on track with a win tonight before facing Miami tomorrow at home.

The Matchups

Jason Kidd v Russell Westbrook

Jason Kidd continues to resist the decline as he ages. Although he has lost a step or two he continues to be an excellent distributer and a sure shot when he shoots. Westbrook has done a great job attacking the basket in recent games and has the matchup to really put some points on the board. This really is a good two headed monster for Westbrook, if he is checked by Kidd he should be quick enough to drive the lane, if he is checked by Barea he should be able to elevate and shoot over him at the elbow. I know that's not going to be a popular shot in most Thunder fans minds but it is one that he hits consistently and a good shot most of the time. Even against the Spurs it was a good shot for the following reasons. He was open, wide open in fact. It was almost exactly the same shot he hit to send the game into overtime. I understand you would rather have Durant take any game deciding shot, but honestly given the choice of Durant for three or Westbrook for essentially a free throw which would do you think is the better shot. The best thing that can happen to this team is to develop another clutch offensive weapon. You can't double two people if they have proper spacing, and most nights Durant is going to get the double.

Edge

Quarter by Quarter observations

First Quarter

The Thunder looked out of synch early in the quarter, I don't know if it's because the Spurs elected not to play Tim Duncan or something else but they were not ready to play. The refs seemed to have one of those bets Tim Donaghy talked about where first one to call a foul had to buy dinner. The Thunder were getting hacked all over the place but no fouls. KD looks out of rhythem early he is missing wide open shots, right now he is 3-7. Green has hit both of his shots but is getting bumped and hit and yet gets no call. Right now it's a little ridiculous, the Spurs are getting all the calls and coupled with the better execution they are out to a huge lead.

Score to end the Quarter 35-18 Spurs

Oklahoma City Thunder

vs

San Antonio Spurs

Preview

The History

Are you for real? That question could apply to both teams tonight. Are the Thunder really a playoff team. Are the Spurs really going to challenge to be the two seed in the west. This season the Thunder have already beaten the Spurs once down in San Antonio, now if they can take care of business at home they will hold two wins over a formidable foe as well as solidifiying their playoff chances. With Utah, New Orleans, and Memphis all looking to get into the playoffs the Thunder sure could use some breathing room, a win tonight would add just a little more space between OKC and the dreaded 9^th seed. San Antonio will not go quietly into the night however. The good news is the Spurs are coming off the first game of a back to back. The better news is the Spurs opponent in that game was the Lakers. The bad news the Spurs have won 8 of their last ten. The worst news is the Spurs just demolished the Lakers in that first game of the back to back. Simply put the Spurs are one of the hottest teams in the NBA right now and they just demolished the defending champs.

The Matchups

Tony Parker v Russell Westbrook

In the first matchup this season Westbrook was spectacular, he beat Parker in just about every category. Westbrook had 19 points on 7-13 shooting, 5 rebounds, 11 assists, and 0 turnovers. Parker was not bad he had 17 points on 7-18 shooting, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 turnovers. Okay never mind Parker was in fact bad, 4 turnovers and poor shooting from one of the big three for the Spurs. Westbrook will need to dig another great performance out of his bag tonight for the Thunder to get the win. Based on past play you have to think Westbrook will be at least able to match Parker tonight at home.

Edge Push

Quarter by Quarter observations

First Quarter

 Just when you thought it couldn't get any better KD goes for 15 points on 5 shots. That's 3 points per shot attempted, crazy. Green has not been a big part of the quarter, I thought with the slower Jeffries guarding him the Thunder would try to get Green to blow by him to the basket. So far it appears that Westbrook and Durant have better matchups. Westbrook is 4-4 from the field and 2-2 from the line for 10 points 2 rebounds and a steal. Collison also has been more aggressive down low. The Lee matchup is one of the few that he is not on the short end of the stick in. Green has done a good job down low on Lee. With Jeffries, who is more of a true center, in the game Krstic is playing Jeffries and Green is on Lee. Right now Lee is 3-8 but does have 5 rebounds.

Score to end the Quarter 34-24 Thunder

Oklahoma City Thunder

vs

New York Knicks

Preview

The story so far

The Knicks are third in the Atlantic division and only 1 game back from the playoffs in the East. The Knicks are also one of the better road teams in the East they are 9-10 on the road. The Thunder meanwhile are 10-8 on the road and at home. The Thunder are a half game and tiebreakers up in the west conference playoff race. After tonight's game against the Thunder the Knicks go to Philly before playing Toronto and Detroit twice. The Thunder play their next game against the Spurs before heading to Dallas. Those two games will go a long way to determining how good the Thunder are right now. But win tonight and the Thunder head into the Spurs game with a little momentum.

The Matchups

Chris Duhon v Russell Westbrook

Duhon averages less than 2 turnovers a game, while dishing out about 6 assists per game. Duhon is usually not very active on the glass either offensive or defensive. Westbrook took a step back in the assist department in the last game but made up for it with an 8-16 shooting night. He also added 9 rebounds. Westbrook has 15 turnovers in the last 5 games which is still below his season average but not what the Thunder fans have gotten used to expecting the past couple of weeks. Tonight's matchup is a close one Duhon will take better care of the ball but Westbrooks athletic plays and rebounding give the Thunder an edge.

Edge

Oklahoma City Thunder

vs

Indiana Pacers

Preview

The story so far

The Thunder are again coming off a disappointing loss, this time to the Hornets. The Thunder dominated most categories in the loss to the Hornets, they out rebounded them on the offensive and defensive sides, they took more free throws, and they took more shots. Yet the Hornets won the game. There is no shame in losing to the Hornets, but a win would have been a nice way to say this in no longer your home away from home. The Pacers are looking to get back on track after losing Danny Granger for the majority of the season so far. Granger returned last night against the Timberwolves, he played 31 minutes in the loss. The Pacers are 11-24 which means... they are right in the hunt for a playoff spot in the East. Coming to the end of this home stand the Thunder need a win to build up some momentum heading into the Knicks and San Antonio games. Win tonight and Monday against the Knicks and the Thunder finish this easy portion of the schedule 8-2 which I think most of us would agree is a win.

The Matchups

Earl Watson v Russell Westbrook

Earl is back to starting for the Pacers. For those of you who did not know the Swirl had lost his job to TJ Ford who has now been dropped to the end of the bench. In that short time Swirl has posted averages of 7.4 points, 5.4 assists, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.4 turnovers. Meanwhile the student has become the teacher as Westbrook has really blossomed under the tutelage of Mo Cheeks and Kevin Ollie and now is a vastly superior option to Watson. Westbrook is now averaging 15.2 points, 9.6 assists, 6.2 rebounds, and 2.4 turnovers. Westbrook should be able to drive past Watson at will and get to the rim, finishing around Hibbert could get dicey but it is a skill Westbrook must learn eventually. On defense Westbrook should be able to stick with Watson and prevent him from contributing much on the offensive side.

Edge