Atlanta Hawks in Oklahoma City tonight to play the Thunder. Atlanta comes in at 14-9 and on the second night of a road back to back coming from Dallas where they beat the Mavs 98-95 last night.
OKC enters at 13-8 and coming off its best performance of the season with a textbook 125-88 road blowout of the Memphis Grizzles. Both teams should be very familiar with each other as Atlanta beat the Thunder 106-100 last week in Atlanta with Jeff Teague and Paul Milsap outplaying Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant in the fourth period.
Big game for Oklahoma City. Not from the standpoint that they’re going to make any significant run at the 23-0 Golden State Warriors because of a win tonight. But more to the point it gives the Thunder an opportunity to build on a modest two game winning streak, plus show the team ball movement displayed against the Grizzlies wasn’t just a fluke, but hopefully more of a building trend heading into the second quarter of Billy Donovan’s first NBA season.
Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant were otherworldly against Memphis combining for 22 assists. I can’t imagine ball movement won’t be the first thing coming out of Billy Donovan’s mouth in the pregame team talk. Keep moving the basketball.
Serge Ibaka needs to be solid again. Would be nice to see him and Westbrook continuing the pick and roll game they displayed against the Grizzlies.
Atlanta plays small itself, so this could very well be a game of small ball combinations from both teams.
Big game for OKC. Need to stay within sight of No. 2 San Antonio in the West. Unless Steph Curry and Dramond Green go down with injuries–the Warriors are gone and will be in serious pursuit of a seventy win season and perhaps even the ’95-’96 Chicago Bulls’ mark of 72-10.
Two good ball teams. But a bigger game for Oklahoma City with much more to prove and the possible beginning of what Thunder fans hope becomes a more positive trend of play as the season enters the second quarter.
Exciting feel and buzz in Oklahoma City this morning about the game. Otherwise, a gloomy feel in Oklahoma City with oil closing at $37 a barrel yesterday.