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Tip-Off: 6:00 PM CST
Location: Chesapeake Energy Arena (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)
Television: FSOK
Radio: The Sports Animal
Twitter: Follow @TheThunderGuys for live-tweets during the game
Player to Watch
C Myles Turner has found success quickly in the NBA. In his first season last year, Turner made the NBA All-Rookie team, and he has cemented himself as a compliment to Paul George in Indiana. George is currently dealing with knee issues and is not expected to play tonight, which means Turner will need to step up and try to fill the void. However, Steven Adams is a solid defender, and he should be able to handle Turner with ease.
Keys to the Game
- Defend the Interior: Indiana is superb at shooting from inside the three-point line, shooting 50.3% from two-point range, which is 8th in the league. Oklahoma City needs to force Indiana into tough shots, and then the Thunder will be able to capitalize on rebounds. The Pacers are 23rd in the league in rebounding with 41.7 a game, while the Thunder ranks 6th with 46.4 rebounds a game.
- Take Care of the Ball: The Pacers are fantastic at forcing opponents into mistakes, ranking in the top-5 in steals (4th), blocks (2nd), and forcing turnovers (3rd), and the Thunder are unfortunately 28th in the league in turnovers giving the ball away 16.6 times a game. Fortunately for Oklahoma City, Indiana is not all that great at keeping opposing teams from putting up points, so if the Thunder are capable of taking care of the ball, they could score a lot of points.
- Keep It Up, Russ: Over the past few games, the talent surrounding Russell Westbrook has been stepping up and doing a solid job at offering support when needed. Westbrook needs to continue to do what he does best: bring the intensity that the Thunder needs to continue to put up dominant performances like they have been known to do.
Article written by Zack Low. Follow @TheThunderGuys on Twitter and Instagram.