Not too long ago, the Oklahoma City Thunder was a championship contender and in the thick of building a great new rivalry in NBA basketball. Viewed as one of the only teams in the league that could legitimately go toe-to-toe with the Golden State Warriors, a dynasty in the making, every matchup was must-see TV. We all know how that story ended, though, as Kevin Durant entered free agency, actually chose to go to the Warriors, and the rivalry slowly dissolved from there.
The last couple years of tank seasons have put OKC in a bad spotlight. They haven’t been anyone’s rival, really, except for the Houston Rockets, but even that is just their Twitter fans being upset that the Thunder’s future is brighter than theirs. Now, however, OKC is making a name for themselves as a scrappy young bunch that competes with everyone, and that should be the case Monday night as the Thunder hosts the Warriors.
The reigning NBA champs have experienced a championship hangover of sorts, and at a little over midway through the season, the Warriors are just 25-24 and sit at 6th in the Western Conference standings. The Thunder, who hasn’t been over .500 but for a few days over the last few seasons, is 24-25 and in 11th place. That goes to show just how tight the Western Conference race is right now.
Unfortunately for OKC, it appears that Luguentz Dort (strained right hamstring) is set to miss his second game in a row, which is a major hit to the Thunder’s defensive capabilities. Still, the game must be played, and while the Warriors are basically at full strength, OKC still has plenty of weapons, including soon-to-be All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. With Dort sitting out, many are asking the question “Who is going to slow down Steph Curry?” In reality, perhaps people should be asking “Who is going to slow down Shai Gilgeous-Alexander?”
Game Details
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
Game Notes: Oklahoma City Thunder Official Game Notes, Golden State Warriors Official Game Notes
Projected Starters
Thunder
- PG: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
- SG: Josh Giddey
- SF: Aaron Wiggins
- PF: Jalen Williams
- C: Kenrich Williams
Warriors
- PG: Steph Curry
- SG: Jordan Poole
- SF: Klay Thompson
- PF: Aaron Wiggins
- C: Draymond Green
Injury Report
Thunder
- Luguentz Dort is OUT (strained right hamstring).
- Chet Holmgren is OUT (right foot surgery).
- Eugene Omoruyi is OUT (G League — two-way).
- Aleksej Pokusevski is OUT (left tibial plateau; non-displaced fracture).
- Jeremiah Robinson-Earl is OUT (sprained right ankle).
- Lindy Waters III is OUT (G League — two-way).
Warriors
- Andre Iguodala is OUT (strained right hip).
Head-to-Head
- Since arriving in Oklahoma City in 2008, the Thunder is 22-26 against the Warriors in the regular season (14-10 at home, 8-16 on the road) and 3-4 in the playoffs (2-1 at home, 1-3 on the road).
- Since arriving in Oklahoma City in 2008, the Thunder has won the season series with the Warriors 6 times, lost it 6 times, and tied twice.
- The Thunder went 0-3 against the Warriors last season (0-2 at home, 0-1 on the road).