The Oklahoma City Thunder played their third game of NBA In-Season Tournament group play on Tuesday night when they hosted Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs. The hype headed into the game was focused on Wemby vs. Chet, and while that matchup didn’t exactly meet expectations, the Thunder put on quite a show on their way to a 123-87 victory. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 28 points, 7 steals, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists; Josh Giddey managed to get out of a rut by putting up 18 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists; and Kenrich Williams made a splash in his season debut with 9 points, 2 assists, and some hearty defense.
Now the Thunder turns their attention to a 3-game road trip that begins with two games against the Golden State Warriors in a three-day span. The Warriors are in a rough stretch of 4 straight losses, and it’s probably not going to get any better any time soon as they are without Steph Curry due to a sprained knee. Draymond Green is also out for the next 5 games as he serves a suspension for his involvement in a brawl with the Minnesota Timberwolves where Green placed Rudy Gobert in a chokehold.
Regardless of who is on the court for the Warriors, the Thunder needs to stay focused and continuing improving towards their ultimate potential, which ultimately begins on the defensive end. OKC was able to stifle the Spurs on Tuesday with their suffocating defense, and they need to continue to do so against better teams.
Game Details
Tip-Off: 6:30 PM CT
Location: Paycom Center
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: Luguentz Dort
- PF: Jalen Williams
- C: Chet Holmgren
Warriors
- PG: Chris Paul
- SG: Klay Thompson
- SF: Andrew Wiggins
- PF: Dario Saric
- C: Kevon Looney
Injury Report
Thunder
- Ousmane Dieng is OUT (G League – on assignment).
- Keyontae Johnson is OUT (G League — two-way).
Warriors
- Stephen Curry is OUT (strained right knee).
- Draymond Green is OUT (suspension).
Head-to-Head
- Since arriving in Oklahoma City in 2008, the Thunder is 23-30 against the Warriors in the regular season (15-12 at home, 8-18 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 7 times, and tied twice.
- The Thunder went 1-3 against the Warriors last season (1-1 at home, 0-2 on the road).
- The Thunder is 0-1 against the Warriors so far this season (0-1 at home, 0-0 on the road).