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Taking Off to Houston with a Zero-Zero Mentality

Date: Sunday, March 21, 2021

Tip-Off Time: 1 p.m. CT

Television: Fox Sports Oklahoma

Radio: 98.1 FM WWLS the Sports Animal and the Thunder Radio Network

Thunder Status

After two days between games, the Thunder returns to action on the road in the Lone Star State. Sunday’s matinee matchup against Houston marks the third out of its four-game road trip for the Thunder where the squad currently sits at 0-2 after a pair of slow offensive nights. Rather than dive into the film from its loss to Atlanta, the Thunder got after it on the floor in a solid practice where it was able to reset and recenter with a focus on skill work and execution on both offense and defense.

“I just didn't think we were sharp in that game against Atlanta and in the Chicago game–especially to start both,” said Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault. “We touched up some stuff defensively, tried to work on our execution offensively and I thought build some chemistry coming out of the day and hopefully we’ll go out there and be ready to rock right from the jump [on Sunday.]””

While offense was hard to come by over the Thunder’s last two games, second-year guard Ty Jerome has maintained a level of consistency on that end of the floor as he has logged a career-high four straight games scoring in double figures. The sharp-shooter knocked down a career-high six 3-pointers on Thursday on his way to a career-high 18 points.

“He’s a really good system player,” said Daigneault. “The shooting is only going to open his game up more and he's going to make his fair share of them because he’s really good shooter as well.”

Opponent Breakdown

Burdened by injuries and fluctuating lineups, the Rockets have fallen into a franchise-record 19-game losing skid. In 17 of those games, the Rockets were without starting center Christian Wood, who typically leads the team in scoring and rebounding. In his two games since returning from his ankle injury, Wood has averaged 19.5 points, 10.0 rebounds, 1.5 blocks while shooting at a 61.5 percent clip from the field.

Rounding out the group of 20-point scorers for the Rockets is the backcourt duo of John Wall and Victor Oladipo, who average a combined 40.0 points and 11.0 assists each night, but who have also missed a combined 12 games for Houston. Wall, who missed five of the Rocket’s last 19 games, returned to the lineup in Houston’s most recent game against Detroit on Friday. In that game, Wall recorded a team-high 21 points while dishing out 17 assists.

Despite the eyebrow-raising streak of the Rockets, it doesn’t change the approach for the Thunder who hasn’t played to its standard of basketball over its last two games. Rooting itself in the present moment, the Thunder will look to execute its well-established, zero-zero mentality and approach Sunday’s game as an opportunity to put its best foot forward and play to its standard.

“If you're playing a team that's won 19 in a row or lost 19 in a row none of that matters when the ball goes up in the air. The score is zero-zero,” said Daigneault. “It doesn't change the prep, if anything it just reinforces that theme of zero and zero. That's been something that we've talked about from the jump.”

Matchup Focus

The Thunder and the Rockets last faced each other in a mini-series at the beginning of February. The two teams split the series 1-1, yet each contest was decided handily by 17 points or more. One of the biggest differences in the two contests was who threw the first punch and got out to a strong start. When the Thunder won, it was because it jumped out on the right foot particularly on the defensive end and held Houston to its season-low for a half with just 43 points. Similarly, when Houston walked away with the win, it was because it was able to establish the tone from the jump after putting up 48 points in the first quarter.

As both teams look to shake off a string of subpar performances on Sunday, be on the lookout for who is able to throw the first punch and establish the tone of the game.

Stat to Watch

Free Throws — Over the past six games, the Thunder has seen a spike in its free throw percentage. After shooting at an average clip of 73.2 percent through the season, OKC has converted its free throws at an 80.8 percent rate in the last half a dozen contests. Meanwhile, Houston has found itself at the bottom of the league in this area over the same time frame shooting at just 65.4 percent from the charity stripe. Look for the Thunder to take advantage of its ability to get to the foul line and generate offense at a consistent rate.

Thunder Trend

Despite new faces and changing lineups, the Thunder second unit has provided consistent contributions throughout the season. In Thursday’s contest, OKC’s reserves featured Théo Maledon, who came off the bench for the first time since late-February, as well as Thunder newcomer Svi Mykhailiuk who made his Thunder debut. Still, the second unit logged its fourth straight game with three players in double figures and the third game out of the last four where they’ve finished with 40 or more points. Jerome led the way with 18, while both Maledon and Kenrich Williams chipped in 10 each.

“It’s pretty much playing together,” said Williams. “Really trying to put a great defensive effort first, and then everything else falls into place. That's the recipe for the second group.”