Preview: Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Golden State Warriors
On Monday night, the Oklahoma City Thunder visit the Golden State Warriors in a potential Western Conference playoff preview. Currently, one of the teams is the top seed out West, while the other is out of the playoff picture, sitting 10th. If a guess had to be ventured this summer, most would have believed it would be Oklahoma City in the penthouse, while Golden State struggled to adjust to a new head coach.
Instead, the Warriors are rolling at 26-5 under Steve Kerr, 1.5 games ahead of the second-seeded Portland Trailblazers. No team has been more dominant on a night-in, night-out basis, outscoring opponents by an NBA-best average of 10.2 points per game. Golden State ranks behind only the Dallas Mavericks in points/game (108.6) and tied for fifth-best amongst current playoff teams in points allowed/game at 98.5.
The Warriors have been solid on the home and away, amassing 13-1 and 13-4 marks respectively. Golden State’s ORACLE Arena has always proven a brutally tough building for opponents when the Warriors are respectable, featuring one of the loudest home crowds. Their only home defeat this season came back on Nov. 11 to the San Antonio Spurs, falling 113-100. Since then, Golden State has run off 11 consecutive home victories, including an 126-105 pasting of the Toronto Raptors on Friday night.
Not surprisingly, the leading men are Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. The backcourt duo is the best in basketball, combining for 44.1 points/game. With Draymond Green and Andrew Bogut banging the boards inside and Marresse Speights providing a really solid two-way game, the Warriors appear more dangerous than ever.
The same cannot be said for the Thunder. Dealing with injuries to Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook all season, Oklahoma City is an underwhelming 17-17. The Thunder have only gotten 31 combined games between Westbrook and Durant, leaving their responsibilities to Reggie Jackson, Andre Roberson and others far too often.
For Oklahoma City, good news seems to have arrived. Durant has been on a torrid pace the last two games, scoring 44 points in a win against the Phoenix Suns on Dec. 31 before exploding for another 34 in a victory over the Washington Wizards on Friday. Considering Durant’s track record, there is no reason to expect a dip in production. With Westbrook at his side, the Thunder could be primed for a serious second-half run in the brutal West.
Assuming Oklahoma City makes it back to the postseason, the question is how far can they take it? The Thunder have two of the top 15 players in basketball, but the supporting cast has eroded over the years. While the group is still formidable and fear-worthy, can Oklahoma City make a deep run without the benefit of home-court advantage?
Monday will be a terrific test for the Thunder, playing the best in basketball in a hostile environment. Conversely, the Warriors will have their defense challenged by Durant and Westbrook, two pure scorers who play with reckless abandon.
