Tip-Off: 8 PM CDT
Location: Vivint Smart Home Arena (Salt Lake City, Utah)
Television: Fox Sports Oklahoma
Radio: WWLS 98.1FM OKC The Sports Animal
Twitter: Follow @TheThunderGuys for live-tweets during the game
The Oklahoma City Thunder is back in action tonight, and they look a lot different than they did just 6 months ago. Long gone is the first round exit at the hands of Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers, and now we usher in the new era.
In tonight’s season opener, the Thunder plays the the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City. The Thunder swept the Jazz in the regular season last year, but Oklahoma City is nearly a double-digit underdog tonight. Meanwhile, the Jazz are considered one of several contenders in the West.
The Thunder is not likely to win tonight’s game, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be a positive experience. Oklahoma City needs to focus on learning to play as a team, and if they can develop chemistry early, this season could be a successful one in a lot of ways.
Projected Starters
Thunder
- PG: Chris Paul
- SG: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
- SF: Terrance Ferguson
- PF: Danilo Gallinari
- C: Steven Adams
Jazz
- PG: Mike Conley
- SG: Donovan Mitchell
- SF: Royce O’Neale
- PF: Bojan Bogdanović
- C: Rudy Gobert
Injuries
Thunder
- Andre Roberson (return to play management) is OUT.
Jazz
- Dante Exum (knee) is OUT.
Head-to-Head
- Since arriving in Oklahoma City in 2008, the Thunder is 31-12 (19-2 at home, 12-10 on the road) against the Jazz in the regular season and 2-4 (2-1 at home, 0-3 on the road) in the playoffs.
- Since arriving in Oklahoma City in 2008, the Thunder has won the season series against the Jazz 9 times, lost it once, and tied once.
- The Thunder swept the Jazz 4-0 last season (2-0 at home, 2-0 on the road).
Game Notes
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