Broadcast Information
- Tip-off: 2:00 p.m. CT
- Television: Fox Sports Oklahoma
- Radio: WWLS the Sports Animal and the Thunder Radio Network
For four straight games, the Thunder’s defense has been locked in and connected. In the first three, there were some lapses but in the fourth, a win against the Toronto Raptors on the road, the Thunder put together perhaps its most complete performance of the year. Now back home, it will need to do so again in order to keep clicking at the right time of the year.
Against the new-look Sacramento Kings this afternoon, the Thunder is focused on continuing its trend of high-level defense. With the insertion of Taj Gibson into the starting group the Thunder has a veteran-laden unit to kickstart both the first and second halves, with high-energy, youthful players in the frontcourt and backcourt ready to pick up right where the starters left off.
“It just shows that if we’re good defensively, we can be really good offensively as well,” guard Victor Oladipo explained when asked about the recent stretch. “We have to buy into that and just make it a consistent thing.”
Thunder Talk: Victor Oladipo
This is the first time Head Coach Billy Donovan and his staff have had to prepare for the Kings without DeMarcus Cousins, who was traded just before the deadline to the New Orleans Pelicans. As a result, the vacuum in the frontcourt has been filled by a variety of players, all of whom play much differently than Cousins and present unique challenges. Willy Cauley-Stein, Kosta Koufos and Skal Labissiere all have unique skill sets and are scoring threats. The Thunder has to be up and prepared to take on the challenge.
“With Cousins being out, their frontcourt players have had more of an opportunity,” Donovan explained. “They have guys who can put it on the floor, can create and generate offense on their own.”
“We have to be ready to play,” Oladipo said. “They’re coming in. they’re hot right now. They’re playing well right now. We want more. We’re not satisfied. We’re going to be ready to play.”
On the perimeter, the Kings are skilled as well, and while it remains to be seen if Darren Collison and Anthony Tolliver will play, Sacramento still has two tough scorers in Arron Afflalo and Buddy Hield, the former University of Oklahoma standout.
Hield is more of a deep threat, knocking down threes at an impressive rate this year by moving off the ball, catching and shooting. Afflalo does it differently, but his work before hand is similar. After cutting and using physicality to fend off his man, the veteran shooting guard can post up and score over defenders. Both will be a problem.
“They’re both very skilled players,” Oladipo noted. “Buddy does a great job of moving without the ball, creating his own shot. Arron does the same thing really well as well. We’re going to have to do a great job collectively getting stops and playing great team defense.”