The Thunder returns home from a brief New Orleans road trip to kick off a four-game home stand inside of Paycom Center. The team enters Oklahoma City riding a three-game winning streak having defeated the Pelicans 108-100 on Wednesday. Friday night’s matchup marks the first City Night for OKC where the team will debut its 2021-22 City Edition uniform as well as its matching alternate court.
What to Watch
Limiting Looks From 3 Headlined by Buddy Hield, the Kings have logged six consecutive games having made 10 or more 3-pointers. Hield alone has already made 50 triples over his 12 games played this season which marks the second-most in the league. Meanwhile, the Thunder has held its opponents to a 30 percent clip over its past four games which puts the team at fourth in the league. Keep an eye on the 3-point line and how the Thunder works to deter the Kings’ looks.
Balanced Offense on Both Sides Expect to see offensive production from multiple sources on Friday as the Thunder and the Kings both tout balanced scoring. The Kings are one of just three teams in the league with five players averaging 13 or more points. Meanwhile, the Thunder’s offense is powered by paint touches and ball movement which leads to involvement from multiple players offensively.
Reserves at the ReadyKeep an eye on the Thunder’s reserves Friday night. In its last game against the Pelicans, the Thunder’s second unit outscored New Orleans 27-17 and it was Mike Muscala who led the way off the bench for the second straight game. The Thunder’s big man posted 12 points including a perfect 3-for-3 from deep. Over the last two games, Muscala has posted 32 points while shooting 80 percent from the field and 6-of-7 from the 3-point line.
Notable
After its win over the Pelicans on Sunday where the Thunder held New Orleans to just 100 points and 35-percent shooting from the field, OKC has now logged multiple games through the month of November where its defense has shined. In fact, in the four games OKC has played in November, the team ranks first in defensive rating (99.3), first in opponent field goal percentage (38.9) and second in points allowed (99.3).
Quotable
Mike Muscala on carrying over the confidence from the last three games into Friday… “Just taking it one play at a time. Obviously, it feels good to be on a little bit of a streak but part of the NBA, there’s so many games, you’ve got to stay ready and keep chipping away. Winning [on Wednesday] felt good but I think there’s still a lot of areas that we can improve on from the game.”
Scouting Report
The Kings enter Oklahoma City for the second game of its four-game road trip. After its 136-117 loss to San Antonio on Wednesday, Sacramento is now riding a three-game losing skid. The Kings are led in scoring by Harrison Barnes who averages 21.4 points per night. However, it was De’Aaron Fox who led Sacramento in scoring on Wednesday as he registered 37 points to go alongside six assists. Rounding out the backcourt for the Kings is Buddy Hield who leads the team in 3-point makes and attempts per game and also became the Kings franchise leader in total 3-pointers made.