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In a rematch of their opening-night clash, the 10-6 Oklahoma City Thunder and the 12-6 Golden State Warriors will go head to head Wednesday.
This game will be a little different than the first one was. For one thing, Russell Westbrook will be leading the Thunder in their quest to defeat the defending champs. Last time, Westbrook was sidelined after he underwent a knee surgery.
Things are different for the Warriors, too, but not in a good way. Stephen Curry has missed the last six games a strained groin and will sit out against the Thunder, too. Draymond Green, nursing a right toe sprain, will also miss the contest, the team confirmed Tuesday. This injury-riddled Warriors squad has lost its last three games – against the Texas trio of the Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs – and will enter Wednesday’s game looking to get back on track.
The Warriors have won their last three matchups with the Thunder but weren’t missing both Curry and Green in any of those victories.
Featured Pick #1: Who will win the game? (Either team by less than 7 points)
We aren’t expecting a blowout here. The Warriors are banged up, and the Thunder aren’t exactly in tip-top shape either; Andre Roberson will be out for at least another month, and Alex Abrines (illness), Jerami Grant (ankle) and Nerlens Noel (illness) are all listed as questionable.
The Warriors are on a three-game losing streak, while the Thunder have won 10 of their last 12. With that said, those Warriors losses all came on the road, and they’ll have the home crowd rocking in Oracle. The Warriors have only lost once with homecourt advantage this season – to the Milwaukee Bucks on November 8.
This should be a tightly contested game between two of the top teams in the West. The Thunder should be able to hang with the Warriors much more tightly than they normally would with Green and Curry missing, but Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson should be enough to stop the Warriors from suffering a blowout in front of their fans.
Featured Pick #2: Will either team lead at the end of every quarter? (No)
This pick goes with the first one, really. This game projects to be a tightly contested one, so it would be fairly surprising to see a single team lead at the end of each quarter. It is possible that Golden State’s funk continues, but we’re expecting to see them bounce back, to a certain degree, as they return from their road trip.
Plus, these teams tend to get hot at different times, furthering the argument for the lead shifting quarter to quarter. The Thunder have a better point differential than the Warriors do in both the first and third quarters this season. In fact, the third quarter has been OKC’s best and Golden State’s worst. However, the Dubs have been better in the second period and far superior in the final quarter, where OKC has struggled mightily, being outscored by 3.1 points per game.
Featured Pick #3: Who will score the most first-half points? (Kevin Durant)
No Curry, no Green. Golden State’s offense will run primarily through Durant. Durant hasn’t shot the ball well in recent games; he’s connected on just one of his last 17 3-point attempts. One would think he’ll progress toward the mean soon. He is, ya know, one of the best scorers of all time. Perhaps this matchup against his former team will be exactly what he needs to get his shot going. It also helps that Roberson, one of the finest defenders in basketball, won’t be there to slow him down.
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