The Oklahoma City Thunder suffered their first loss of the season on Wednesday—a 124-122 decision in Denver against the Nuggets—and now they look to maintain their unbeaten streak at home as they play host to the Houston Rockets on Friday night.
A team once in a near identical situation to the Thunder is on a slightly slower timeline than OKC. Just a couple of years ago, both teams were at the bottom of the standings, vying for a top pick. Now, both teams are full of young players with a lot of potential. The difference is that OKC has already experienced a level of success as they are led by the MVP-caliber play of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
So far this season, both the Thunder and the Rockets are playing some of the best defense in the entire league, and that will surely be on display tonight as they try to slow down one another. SGA is obviously one of the most dynamic scorers in the league, and with guys like Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams alongside him, it’s easy to see how they can score in bunches. On the flip side, Houston is led by Jalen Green, a capable scorer who lacks quality efficiency, and Alperen Sengun, a talented big man that has given Holmgren issues in recent history.
The Thunder and the Rockets have plenty of history with one another, and the fanbases don’t particularly care for one another, so it makes sense to expect an intense battle that will likely be decided in the last couple of possessions.
Game Details
Tip-Off: 7 PM CT
Location: Paycom Center (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)
Television: FanDuelTV – 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, Houston Rockets Official Game Notes
Projected Starters
Thunder
- PG: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
- SG: Cason Wallace
- SF: Luguentz Dort
- PF: Jalen Williams
- C: Chet Holmgren
Rockets
- PG: Fred VanVleet
- SG: Jalen Green
- SF: Dillon Brooks
- PF: Jabari Smith
- C: Alperen Sengun
Injury Report
Thunder
- Alex Ducas (G League — two-way) is OUT.
- Adam Flagler (G League — two-way) is OUT.
- Isaiah Hartenstein (fractured left hand) is OUT.
- Nikola Topic (left ACL surgery recovery) is OUT.
- Jaylin Williams (strained right hamstring) is OUT.
- Kenrich Williams (right knee surgery) is OUT.
Rockets
- Steven Adams (right knee injury recovery) is QUESTIONABLE.
- N’Faly Dante (G League — two-way) is OUT.
- Cam Whitemore (G League — on assignment) is OUT.
- Nate Williams (G League — two-way) is OUT.
Head-to-Head
- Since arriving in Oklahoma City in 2008, the Thunder is 28-30 against the Rockets in the regular season (19-11 at home, 9-19 on the road) and 7-9 against the Rockets in the playoffs (5-2 at home, 2-7 on the road).
- The Thunder has won the season series with the Rockets 7 times, lost it 5 times, and tied 4 times.
- The Thunder went 2-2 against the Rockets last season (1-1 at home, 1-1 on the road).