Date: Dec. 18, 2019Tip-Off Time: 7 p.m. CTTelevision: Fox Sports OklahomaRadio: 98.1 FM WWLS the Sports Animal and the Thunder Radio Network
Thunder Status On the heels of the largest comeback victory on its home floor, the Thunder rides the momentum generated on Monday against Chicago to kick off its homestand.
Thunder turnovers were converted into easy offense for the Bulls so much so that Chicago led by as many as 26 in the first half. However, in the second half, the Thunder began to settle down and the ever-savvy veteran Chris Paul began to orchestrate the offense en route to a 26-point comeback.
Paul exploded for 19 points in the final frame knocking down five 3-pointers to reel in the Bulls and set up OKC to seal the victory in the final seconds. Steven Adams banked in a free throw with 4.3 seconds left. On his second attempt, the ball bounced off the back iron, but the Kiwi was able to recover it, and throw it out to his guards on the perimeter. Chicago was forced to foul with 1.3 seconds remaining but by that point, the ball had already swung into none other than Paul’s hands who stepped up and sank both attempts with 1.3 seconds left to seal the deal.
Opponent Breakdown Fast paced and up tempo. That’s the style of play Memphis brings into Chesapeake Energy Arena on Wednesday playing at the fifth fastest pace in the league. Coming off of a pair of back to back victories, the Grizzlies will look to stretch its streak against OKC.
At the head of the zooming Grizzlies offense, is its equally explosive rookie point guard, Ja Morant. He is equal parts scorer and facilitator averaging 18.8 points and 6.5 assists. In their last game against Miami, Morant racked up 20 points and 10 assists making it the third time this season that the rookie has notched 20 and 10. Assists only happen if you’re surrounded by capable finishers and in the Grizzlies’ case, those finishers go by the name of Jae Crowder, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Jonas Valanciunas.
As a forward, Jackson Jr. is shooting 40% from behind the arc. In the paint, Valanciunas is coming off of his 14th double-double of the season with 21 points and 10 rebounds while shooting 8-9 from the field.
Matchup Focus
It will be up to Thunder perimeter defenders like Terrance Ferguson and Dennis Schröder to contain the head of the snake in Morant. The crafty point guard has the ability to shoot from behind the arc and slice defenses to either get to the rim or dime a sneaky pass to the open player.
“He’s playing great," said Schröder. "He’s a rookie but he’s playing like a veteran, taking good shots and getting his teammates involved.”
Stat to Watch Fast Break Points. The Grizzlies fast paced style of offense stems from its ability to score downhill in transition. Memphis is fourth in the league in percentage of points from the fast break (14.5%) while the Thunder is the last in the league (8.1%). It will be critical for the Thunder to take control and dictate the tempo of the game and force the Grizzlies to play within OKC’s pace, not the other way around.
“Transition defense is going to be really important getting back. They’ve got a lot of high energy, high motor guys," said Thunder head coach Billy Donovan. "We’ll have to come with really good energy tomorrow.”
Thunder Trend For the eighth time this season, the Thunder has played in a game decided by three points or less and the ninth game decided by 10 points or less. In clutch situations, the Thunder sits at third in the league in shooting percentage with a 47% clip from the field when it’s down to the wire.
Watch: Game Day Report