Tip-Off: 7 PM CT
Location: Paycom Center (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)
Television: Bally Sports Oklahoma
Radio: WWLS 98.1FM OKC The Sports Animal
Twitter: Follow @ZacharyLowNBA for live-tweets and discussion during the game
No Shai? No Dort? No problem! Despite missing a number of key players on Monday, the Oklahoma City Thunder managed to pull out a win in an overtime thriller at Madison Square Garden. In a game that featured 12 ties and 13 lead changes, it was the Thunder who was able to come out on top 127-123 in extra time thanks to a 28-point triple-double effort from Josh Giddey and a 30-point explosion from Tre Mann.
OKC’s youth has excelled in the absence of key players like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luguentz Dort. While they haven’t put together too many wins, they have managed to stay competitive, and the heavy minutes played in moments like these should pay dividends down the road. Tonight the Thunder hosts the San Antonio Spurs, who are dealing with their own struggles this season.
At 22-36, the Spurs are sitting at 12th in the Western Conference, 2 games behind the 10th spot, which would mean an appearance in the play-in tournament. With a little over 20 games remaining, time is ticking for the Spurs. The Thunder isn’t looking to move up the standings at all, and if anything, they’d be okay with dropping to the very bottom for the sake of a better chance at a higher lottery pick. Still, OKC is a dangerous squad that a lot of teams seem to forget about, so don’t be surprised if the Thunder not only managed to keep tonight’s game close, but they actually pull out a win ahead of the All-Star Break.
Projected Starters
Thunder
- PG: Josh Giddey
- SG: Tre Mann
- SF: Aaron Wiggins
- PF: Darius Bazley
- C: Isaiah Roby
Spurs
- PG: Dejounte Murray
- SG: Devin Vassell
- SF: Doug McDermott
- PF: Keldon Johnson
- C: Jakob Poeltl
Injuries
Thunder
- Luguentz Dort is OUT (strained left shoulder).
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is OUT (sprained right ankle).
- Ty Jerome is OUT (left hip soreness).
- Mike Muscala is OUT (right ankle soreness).
- Jeremiah Robinson-Earl is OUT (third metatarsal fracture in right foot).
- Kenrich Williams is OUT (sprained right knee).
Spurs
- Devontae Cacok is OUT (G League – two-way).
- Goran Dragic is OUT (not with team).
- Tre Jones is OUT (right knee soreness).
- Joe Wieskamp is OUT (G League – two-way).
Head-to-Head
- Since arriving in Oklahoma City in 2008, the Thunder is 22-26 against the Spurs in the regular season (15-10 at home, 7-16 away) and 10-8 against them in the playoffs (7-2 at home, 3-6 away).
- Since arriving in Oklahoma City, the Thunder has won the season series with the Spurs twice, lost it 4 times, and tied 7 times.
- The Thunder went 2-1 against the Spurs last year (1-1 at home, 1-0 on the road).
- The Thunder is 1-1 against the Spurs so far this season (1-0 at home, 0-1 on the road).