The Oklahoma City Thunder won their 11th straight game on Saturday against the Washington Wizards despite a scuffle that led to OKC losing Jaylin Williams, Ajay Mitchell, and Cason Wallace to ejection. Ajay Mitchell received a one-game suspension, which he will serve on Monday night as the Thunder plays the fourth game of a five-game East Coast road trip.
Ajay Mitchell received a one-game suspension for his involvement in the scuffle with the Washington Wizards on Saturday, but Jalen Williams is back in action. On the other hand, the Sixers are missing their top three scorers—Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, and Paul George—which is why the Thunder is such a heavy favorite. OKC is at full strength for the first time in what seems like forever, and even though this is the fourth game in a five-game road trip, I like the Thunder to cover.
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While recency bias has everyone feeling some type of way about the current state of the Thunder, the full picture cannot be forgotten. OKC has dominated for a giant chunk of the season so far, and they are an experienced team that has been through their share of ups and downs. Championship teams turn losses into lessons, and they have done that time and time again. Sunday afternoon offers another opportunity to prove that a lesson has been learned as the Thunder hosts the Philadelphia 76ers.
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The Oklahoma City Thunder wraps up their brief 3-game East Coast road trip on Tuesday night as they take on the struggling Philadelphia 76ers. The Sixers have been missing Joel Embiid for a good chunk of their season, and that is a big reason for their 15-22 record. Without Embiid, the Sixers have struggled to score points, and it has cost them a handful of winnable games.
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The Sixers have had the Thunder’s number in year’s past primarily because of the matchup issue that Joel Embiid creates. Well, Embiid is out, and the Thunder has Isaiah Hartenstein now, so this meeting should go a bit differently. Philadelphia has quality playmakers in Tyrese Maxey and Paul George, but OKC’s stellar defense should be enough to open up a big lead late and cover the spread.
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It’s been a long week since the Oklahoma City Thunder last played basketball, but the NBA All-Star Break is completed, and now the Thunder is set to get back on the court at home against Western Conference foe the Los Angeles Clippers. The Clippers are just a half-game back of OKC in the Western Conference standings, and with the season series tied at 1-1, this final meeting between the two could have a big impact on the postseason.
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In the two previous matchups this season, the home team has won each time, and I think that will be the case tonight. Both of these enter the other side of the All-Star Break entirely healthy and rested, so I expect a battle to the end where the home crowd will ultimately help push the Thunder over the edge for the victory.
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Now the Thunder faces the tall task of playing the LA Clippers in the second game of a back-to-back on the road. The Clippers have lost just 4 games since the start of December, picking up that fourth loss on Sunday night in Minnesota against the Timberwolves. They haven’t loss back-to-back games since doing so a month again when they lost to the Thunder in Oklahoma City before losing at home to the Boston Celtics.
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Let’s be very clear: the spread is only as big as it is because OKC is playing in the second game of a road back-to-back while the Clippers are coming off a day of rest. The Clippers are probably the hottest team in the league right now, so it’s going to take a lot for the Thunder to stick around in this one. Whether or not Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (sprained left knee) is good to go will likely be the key factor in how competitive OKC can be in this one. Either way, I’m taking the Thunder to cover, but I don’t think they can pull out a win in this one.
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The Oklahoma City Thunder continued their dominance at home on Monday night when they manhandled the Memphis Grizzlies 116-97. For the second time in four games, the Thunder’s starters didn’t see much if any fourth quarter action as the game was well in hand. They have a much tougher test on Thursday night, however, as the NBA’s longest active winning streak enters the Paycom Center in the form of the LA Clippers.
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