Preview 39 of 82: Wizards @ Thunder
Time: 6:00 PM CST
TV: Fox Sports Oklahoma
The Oklahoma City Thunder (25-13) are back in action at Chesapeake Energy Arena on Sunday evening, facing Bradley Beal and the Washington Wizards (15-24) for the second and final time this season. The Thunder took a 134-111 victory in the first match-up on November 2 and enter tied for second in the Western Conference. The Wizards — who are without John Wall for the remainder of the season — are just 4-17 on the road and have lost six of their last 10 games.
Tip-off is at 6:00 PM CST and will be televised on Fox Sports Oklahoma. The Thunder are 10-point home favorites according to Odds Shark.
Injury Report
Thunder
- Alex Abrines: Out — Personal
- Andre Roberson: Out — Knee
Wizards
- John Wall: Out — Heel
- Dwight Howard: Out — Back
- Markieff Morris: Out — Neck
Probable Starters
Wizards: Tomas Satoransky, Bradley Beal, Trevor Ariza, Jeff Green, Thomas Bryant
Statistics
Advanced
| Team | ORTG | DRTG | NET RTG | PACE | PIE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WAS | 108.2 | 112.3 | -4.1 | 102.45 | 48.2 |
| OKC | 107.6 | 101.4 | 6.2 | 104.03 | 52.8 |
Four Factors
| Team | EFG | FTA% | TO% | OREB% | OP EFG | OP FTA | OP TO | OP OREB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WAS | 52.4 | 0.274 | 13.5 | 24.1 | 54 | 0.276 | 16.3 | 31.6 |
| OKC | 50.7 | 0.267 | 14.2 | 31 | 50.7 | 0.264 | 17.9 | 26 |
What to Watch For
No Wall. John Wall hit the Thunder for 19 points and nine assists on November 2, but Bradley Beal will be Washington’s unquestioned leader in this one. Beal scored 27 points on 10-of-16 shooting in the first match-up between the teams and is averaging 23.9 PPG on the season. He’ll be joined in the backcourt by Tomas Satoransky, who’s averaging 12.8 PPG in the four games since Wall went down and is shooting 39.3 percent from long distance this season.
The Bigs. With Dwight Howard unavailable due to injury, Thomas Bryant will draw the start opposite Steven Adams. The 21-year-old rookie has come into his own lately, averaging 13.2 points and 7.8 rebounds over the last 10 games. Regardless, Adams could and should have no problem dominating that match-up while taking advantage of a Wizards team that gives up 48.2 rebounds per game — second-most in the NBA.
PG’s 2019 Heat Check. Paul George is off to a scorching start in the new year, posting 37 points in both of the Thunder’s games in 2019. Despite the Thunder scoring 134 points against Washington on November 2, George scored just 17 points on 6-of-12 shooting. He’s averaging 33.4 points in the Thunder’s last 10 games and seems like a lock to outperform his last effort against the Wizards.
No Abrines. Alex Abrines is not with the team due to personal reasons, making this his sixth straight absence. Abdel Nader will once again see extended run.
The Brodie: Westbrook’s volatile 2018-19 campaign continued on Friday night against the Trail Blazers, as he shook off a 3-of-20 shooting effort in the previous game to drop 31 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists on 13-of-28 shooting. Here’s a look at his shooting percentages over the last four games:
- 17/29 (58.6%)
- 4/22 (18.2%)
- 13/24 (54.2%)
- 3/20 (15%)
- 13/28 (46.4%)
Should the pattern continue, Westbrook will struggle from the field tonight. Obviously the hope is that he can put together another strong effort and start building some form of consistency with his shot.
Old Friends. The Wizards are coached by former Thunder head man, Scott Brooks. Uncle Jeff Green will be in Washington’s starting lineup and he comes in averaging 11.3 points and 4.9 rebounds on 35.2 percent shooting from downtown.