OKC has been the hottest team in the West if you feel it. As some of the other hot start teams, like the Lakers and Mavericks, have cooled off, OKC has continued to dominate. The most impressive part is how great they have been despite injuries. Even when their lineup didn’t have a player taller than 6’7, they still managed to play incredible defense and secure rebounds at an elite level. This team is a cohesive unit; every player fits right into place.
Of course, the driving gear of all of this is SGA. He continues to be unique, averaging nearly 30 points a game on elite shooting splits. Not only has SGA been amazing on offense, but he’s been a menace on defense, averaging 1.7 steals a game and 1.1 blocks. It's rare to find such an outstanding young offensive player who contributes so heavily on defense.
If you had to describe this team in one word, it would be “effort.” The whole thing works because every play on the court is committed to this team. They’re getting absolutely stunning levels of defensive focus while being unselfish on the offensive end. We knew this team would be great, but it’s hard to believe anyone else will come out of the West besides OKC if they remain healthish.
However, Golden State poses a real risk to OKC tonight. They have been dominant this year alongside OKC in the West. Golden State plays a similar brand of basketball. A strong group defense is full of lengthy wings that can disrupt passing lanes and force turnovers. They may be even smaller than OKC, but with Steph Curry, that hardly matters on the offensive end. Curry is questionable to play tonight, so OKC will probably run away with this one if he doesn't play. However, we’re going to assume Curry suits up.
We’re leaning towards GS tonight for the win, though. The homecourt advantage, and lack of Alex Caruso on defense might be just enough for Golden State to steal this game from OKC.
Golden State has been stout all year. They have dropped their last two games to San Antonio and Brooklyn, but we expect them to rebound tonight. They may be without Steph Curry tonight, so take the rest of this with a grain of salt if that happens.
We genuinely believe that this GS roster has something special going on. They play a hard-nosed brand of basketball that has excelled because of their defense. Their length with Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins revived a team that most thought was drifting toward irrelevancy. Now taking on OKC for the second time this year, they’re looking to make it two wins in a row over them.
We think they have a good shot at doing it. Alex Caruso is out tonight, which will open up the defense a bit for OKC. Caruso has been a key part of that bench unit, which is looking very thin at the moment. If Curry can come out looking like he did last time these two faced off, we think the perimeter shooting could be invaluable. OKC has struggled to keep up with the three-ball at times, and with Wiggins slowing down SGA, it could be the difference.
Overall, this game will be won on the defensive end and the rebounding battle. Two areas these teams have excelled at. We are worried that Hartenstein could overwhelm a smaller GS frontcourt, but the team rebounding for GS has been fantastic, so it might not matter. Regardless, this will be a telling game for just how real this GS team is.
This will be the evening game to watch, as both teams have been must-watch TV lately.
OKC Injuries:
Ousmane Dieng Out
Chet Holmgren Out
Jaylin Williams Out
Nikola Topic Out
Alex Caruso Out
Golden State Injuries:
Stephen Curry Questionable
Jonathan Kuminga Questionable
Spread: GS +2.5 (-110) / OKC -2.5 (-110)
Total Points: 229.5
Moneyline: GS (+114) / OKC (-135)
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 35+ Points (+185)
Isaiah Hartenstein 12+ Rebounds (+165)
Stephen Curry 40+ Points + Rebounds + Assists (+175)