Broadcast Information
- Tip-off: 7:00 p.m. CT
- Television: Fox Sports Oklahoma
- Radio: WWLS the Sports Animal and the Thunder Radio Network
Thunder Alley will be packed to the brim and the seats in Loud City will be filled early. Tonight, an Oklahoma City Thunder celebration commences.
The home opener of the 2016-17 NBA season for the Thunder will be different – the roster has had some major changes and the arena has undergone upgrades – but the same sense of excitement for the start of the year will be there.
Head Coach Billy Donovan’s club takes on the Phoenix Suns in tonight’s tilt, with the chance to move to 2-0 while the Suns hope to shake off an opening night loss at the Sacramento Kings. With Eric Bledsoe, Devin Booker and Brandon Knight along the perimeter for Phoenix, the Thunder will have its hands full in both trying to stop the ball from getting into the paint and getting launched from behind the three-point line.
“They’re a different team than Philadelphia, and it’ll be a challenge,” Donovan said. “This is a very quick, fast team that gets up the floor and will get out and pressure you defensively.”
Phoenix has earned a reputation over the years for being a team that likes to get up and down the court, play in transition and use its guard play to get to the rim. As Steven Adams mentioned earlier in the week, the Thunder has to avoid playing pick-up basketball. It’s ability to play with in its schemes, and the discipline to work towards an identity, will be crucial in this early stage of the season as the team tries to find itself.
“High scoring or low scoring, we have to go out there and play our basketball,” Adams’ ‘Stache Brother Enes Kanter said. “We have to play physical and the most important thing is pick and roll coverages.”
The matchup on the floor will be electric for sure, with Russell Westbrook, Victor Oladipo, Andre Roberson and Semaj Christon trying to track Phoenix’s guards and then attack the paint on the other end of the floor. The most exciting part of Friday evening, however, will simply be seeing all the Thunder jerseys in the seats, hearing the crowd’s roars during starting lineups and watching the players leave it all on the floor in pursuit of victory.
“We always know that the crowd is the sixth man,” Kanter said.