Date: Nov. 10, 2019Tip-Off Time: 6 p.m. CTTelevision: Fox Sports OklahomaRadio: 98.1 FM WWLS the Sports Animal and the Thunder Radio Network
Thunder Status The Thunder concluded game one of its second back-to-back of the season with a victory over Golden State 114-108. The Thunder dominated early and amassed a lead as large as 23 in the first half. However, the third quarter went to the Warriors who outscored the Thunder 41-24 in the third frame to tie the ball game.
Resilient as ever, the Thunder responded with a strong defensive effort by garnering a few key stops to hold the Warriors to only 24 points in the 4th quarter. Meanwhile, the Thunder, led by Chris Paul who had 10 fourth-quarter points, regained its offensive momentum with ball movement and player movement to finish out the game with a six-point victory.
“I think if we just play the same way we played the first half I think we’ll be fine,” said Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander after the Thunder faced the Warriors on Saturday. “The big thing for us is worry about us, not worried about who we’re playing just be ourselves.”
Opponent Breakdown Spearheaded by reining NBA Most Valuable Player Giannis Antetokuonmpo, the Bucks enter into Sunday’s game 6-3 while sitting atop the Central Division standings. Milwaukee picked up its third loss of the season on Friday against the Jazz in the final seconds to break its four-game win streak.
The Bucks overcame a 22-point deficit in the 3rd quarter and then again reeled in an 8-point margin with just over a minute and a half left in the ball game. Despite double-double performances from both Antetokuonmpo (30 points and 13 rebounds) and Khris Middleton (26 points, 11 rebounds) the Bucks fell short 103-100 after a last-second three pointer in the corner from Bojan Bogdanovic sealed the deal.
“It’s about us obviously every night, but we know that’s a tough team we’re playing here,” said Thunder point guard Chris Paul. “They lost a tough game in Utah [on Friday], so we know that they’re coming in, they’re going to be ready to play. They’re probably here resting and getting ready for us, but for us, we got to keep taking care at home.”
Matchup Focus
Standing at 6’11” and 242 pounds with the same ball handling abilities and agility as a guard, Giannis Antetokuonmpo presents a matchup puzzle like only a select few in the NBA. Whether Coach Donovan decides to utilize a forward, a guard or a combination of different defenses to contain Giannis, it will take a collective effort from all five players on the floor to limit his looks.
“The thing that makes him so difficult to guard besides his talent and his own individual ability is the shooting they have around him,” said head coach Billy Donovan. “He’s unselfish enough that even when you do try to take him out in terms of just running to him a lot of the time he’s in the middle of the floor and he is a very willing passer and he’s got a really good feel on how to play and he finds those guys.”
Stat to Watch Behind players like Antetokuonmpo, Middleton and Brooke Lopez, Milwaukee leads the league in rebounds per game with 52.1. It will take all five Thunder players on the floor to limit Milwaukee’s rebounding numbers and second-chance points.
Thunder Trend The Thunder’s ball movement reached a new milestone on Saturday against the Warriors. The squad tallied 30 assists on 43 field goals and all but one player finished with at least one dime on the evening.
With the increased ball movement, the Thunder is generating high-quality looks from the field which results in a higher shooting percentage. Over its past two games, the Thunder have shot the ball at over a 50% clip from the field and over 45% from the 3-point line.