The night before the All-Star Break, the Oklahoma City Thunder played its 6th game in 9 nights. It was the second game of a back-to-back, and they had to travel on the road to Minneapolis. OKC lost to the Timberwolves sans Rudy Gobert and Julius Randle 116-101, and it left some questions as to whether the Thunder has what it takes to win big games against tough competition.
Since then, OKC has enjoyed some rest as the team is almost entirely healthy which is essentially unheard of at this point in the season. Now the Thunder takes on the Timberwolves in Minneapolis yet again just 10 days later in the first of a back-to-back matchup with Minnesota before the teams meet again on Monday night in OKC.
The Thunder has a firm grip on the top spot in the Western Conference, but it would be unfortunate if they fizzled down the stretch heading into postseason play. Now at full strength, OKC has the opportunity to not only bolster its position but potentially even increase it and show the basketball world that they are indeed ready to make a run at an NBA Championship.
Still, as is the case for the Thunder, each night is a 0-0 mentality. The standings don’t matter when the ball tips off for a new game, and a win tonight would go a long way toward instilling confidence in the idea that OKC cannot be messed with. Minnesota is once again missing Rudy Gobert and Julius Randle, but that didn’t seem to hinder them too much 10 days ago. OKC head coach Mark Daigneault has surely made some adjustments ahead of this meeting.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Anthony Edwards are the premiere names in this matchup, but as is typically the case, it’s going to be “the other guys” for each team that will make the difference. Last time it was Naz Reid for Minnesota that pushed them over the edge. Shutting him down needs to be a focus, but OKC really just needs to do what they do well, and that’s play locked-in defense for a full 48 minutes. If they can force the Timberwolves into some turnovers early, the Thunder should be able to disrupt rhythm enough to come away with a win and look forward to the rematch tomorrow night at home.
Game Details
Tip-Off: 8:30 PM CT
Location: Target Center (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
Television: ESPN
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, Minnesota Timberwolves Official Game Notes
Projected Starters
Thunder
- PG: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
- SG: Luguentz Dort
- SF: Jalen Williams
- PF: Chet Holmgren
- C: Isaiah Hartenstein
Timberwolves
- PG: Mike Conley
- SG: Nickeil Alexander-Walker
- SF: Anthony Edwards
- PF: Jaden McDaniels
- C: Naz Reid
Injury Report
Thunder
- Ajay Mitchell (sprained right great toe) is OUT.
- Nikola Topic (left knee surgery) is OUT.
Timberwolves
- Donte DiVincenzo (sprained left great toe) is OUT.
- Rudy Gobert (lower back spasms) is OUT.
- Julius Randle (strained right groin) is OUT.
Head-to-Head
- Since arriving in Oklahoma City in 2008, the Thunder is 39-25 against the Timberwolves (20-11 at home, 19-14 on the road).
- Since arriving in Oklahoma City in 2008, the Thunder has won the 4-game regular season series against the Timberwolves 9 times, lost it 3 times, and tied it 3 times.
- The Thunder went 2-2 against the Timberwolves last season (1-1 at home, 1-1 on the road).
- So far this season, the Thunder is 1-1 against the Timberwolves (1-0 at home, 0-1 on the road).