Preview 17 of 82: Thunder @ Warriors
Time: 9:30 PM CST
TV: ESPN & FSOK
Game Notes: Thunder / Warriors
The Oklahoma City Thunder (10-6) are in Oakland tonight, facing Kevin Durant and his Golden State Warriors (12-6). Both teams come in short-handed due to injury, but with plenty of star power remaining — not to mention a past that makes the matchup combustible — it promises to be an entertaining contest in the Thunder’s final trip to Oracle Arena.
Tip-off is at 9:30 P.M. CST and will be televised on ESPN and Fox Sports Oklahoma. The Warriors are one-point home favorites according to Odds Shark.
Injury Report
Thunder:
- Jerami Grant: Questionable — Ankle
- Alex Abrines: Questionable — Illness
- Nerlens Noel: Questionable — Illness
- Terrance Ferguson: Out — Personal
- Andre Roberson: Out — Knee
Warriors:
- Steph Curry: Out — Groin
- Draymond Green: Out — Toe
- DeMarcus Cousins: Out — Achilles
- Alfonzo McKinnie: Out — Foot
Probable Starters
Warriors: Andre Iguodala, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, Jonas Jerebko, Kevon Looney
Statistics
General:
Four Factors:
| Team | EFG | FTA | TOV% | OREB | OPP EFG | OPP FTA | OPP TO% | OPP OREB% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OKC | 50 | 0.281 | 14.1 | 32.5 | 51 | 0.272 | 17.7 | 27.1 |
| GSW | 56 | 0.250 | 14.5 | 27.1 | 51.1 | 0.284 | 13.1 | 27.5 |
Previous Results
Oct. 16: GSW 108, OKC 100 [BOX SCORE]
What to Watch For
An Old Friend. As always, the subplot to this particular game is Kevin Durant facing his former team — more specifically, his former point guard Russell Westbrook. While the animosity doesn’t appear to be what it was in the past, there will always be something a little strange about seeing Durant on the opposite side. With the Warriors missing Steph Curry and Draymond Green, this is as good as the opportunity gets when it comes to getting one against KD and these Warriors.
Good Russ. Westbrook returned from his six-game absence to fill the stat sheet in Monday’s loss to the Kings. While it was nice to see him come away unscathed, his shot selection and ability to operate within the offense was shaky at best. Even against a depleted and emotionally unstable Warriors team, he will need to make better decisions in order to get the win. As always, the Thunder go as their mercurial point guard goes.
The Replacements. Depending on how the pre-game injury report shakes out, the Thunder may again be forced to go deep down the bench to find production. With Terrance Ferguson out, Hamidou Diallo will look to keep it rolling after scoring 18 points on Monday — and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot could again see 20+ minutes if Alex Abrines can’t go. In the frontcourt, Jerami Grant is questionable with an ankle injury, so Patrick Patterson could see himself thrust into the starting five and extended minutes. Nice night to have no Draymond Green to contend with.
Last Ride at Oracle. With the Warriors moving across the Bay to San Francisco next season, this will be the last time the Thunder will play at Oracle Arena — at least in the regular season. Not sad.
