Thunder vs. 76ers: Pregame Primer

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Thunder (34-10, 15-7 road) vs. 76ers (14-29, 8-13 home)

TV: FS Oklahoma
Stream: Click here
Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1 FM, 640 AM, 1300 AM The Buzz Tulsa)
Time: 6:30 CT

Offensive Rating: Thunder – 109.6 (5th), Sixers – 99.9 (29th)
Defensive Rating: Thunder – 101.8 (4th), Sixers – 108.2 (24th)
Pace: Thunder – 95.7 (6th), Sixers – 99.7 (1st)

UPDATE: Kevin Durant will play. Prepare for a reaping, 76ers.

Forget the game: Is KD going to play? We won’t know until about 75 minutes until tipoff, but either way, this game either gets exciting and fun, or it gets blah and dangerous. The Thunder played outstanding team basketball against the Celtics, and while the 76ers aren’t good, it might be a lot to ask for OKC to put it together again.

If Durant sits, which makes sense considering the opponent, it is another opportunity for some of the other players to rise to the occasion. I was a little excited to see how the Thunder played without Westbrook or Durant for the first time ever, but I’ve seen it now. It went better than I expected, but it certainly wasn’t as fun.

Three Big Things

1. ET. Michael Carter-Williams is a dangerous player, but Evan Turner is the one that can really hurt you. It’ll be interesting who gets the assignment on him for most of the game. I assume Thabo starts on him, but there will certain be some switching. Especially with MCW and Turner both having the ability to score, that could create some matchup issues for OKC.

2. KD. I hope he plays.

3. Play good. That’s probably the biggest thing to care about. Play the good.

Tip at 6:30 CT. Go Shoulders.