Preview 75 of 82: Thunder vs Pacers
Time: 7:00 PM CST
TV: ESPN & FSOK
The Thunder (43-31) are back in Oklahoma City this evening, kicking off a 5-game home stand against the visiting Indiana Pacers (45-29). Coming off a shameful 12-point loss on Monday night in Memphis, the Thunder — who’ve dropped five of six and have a 6-11 record since the All-Star break — desperately need a win to get things back on track. The Pacers enter having recently experienced troubles of their own, losing four of five and 0-8 in their last eight road games.
Tip-off is at 7:00 PM CST and will be televised on ESPN and Fox Sports Oklahoma. The Thunder are 6.5-point home favorites according to Odds Shark.
Injury Report
Thunder
- Andre Roberson: Out — Knee
Pacers
- Victor Oladipo: Out — Knee
- Darren Collison: Questionable — Quad
Probable Starters
Pacers: Darren Collison, Wesley Matthews, Bojan Bogdanovic, Thaddeus Young, Myles Turner
Stats
Advanced
| Team | ORTG | DRTG | NET RTG | PACE | PIE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OKC | 109.7 | 106.4 | 3.3 | 103.33 | 50.5 |
| MIL | 113.6 | 104.8 | 8.8 | 103.52 | 55.5 |
Four Factors
| Team | EFG | FTA% | TO% | OREB% | OP EFG | OP FTA | OP TO | OP OREB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OKC | 51.3 | 0.268 | 13.4 | 29.9 | 52.3 | 0.272 | 16.1 | 26.2 |
| MIL | 55.0 | 0.255 | 13.3 | 25.0 | 50.2 | 0.222 | 12.8 | 24.4 |
What to Watch For
Un-break My Heart. The Thunder enter having lost five of six, with Monday’s 12-point loss to the Grizzlies being the low-point of it all. OKC shot just 40 percent against Memphis, including 33 percent from long range. They were also out-rebounded by 20, had 14 fewer assists, and surrendered 54 points in the paint. Vegas thinks the Thunder will take care of business against Indiana, but that 6.5-point spread seems a tad too big for a team that just got embarrassed by G-Leaguers. Everything has to be better.
Last Time. The Pacers took a 108-106 victory in the first match-up of the season — erasing an 18-point third-quarter deficit to stun the Thunder on a Wesley Matthews tip-in with 1.8 seconds remaining. Paul George scored 36 points, Russell Westbrook added a 19-14-11 triple-double, and OKC shot 14-of-30 (46.7%) from downtown. However, all five Indiana starters scored in double-figures, Domas Sabonis dropped 26 off the bench, and the Pacers outscored OKC 58-43 in the second half. The Thunder were only able to muster 18 points on 30 percent shooting in the fourth quarter.
Home Cookin’. Like I mentioned above, the Pacers come into Chesapeake Energy Arena with an 8-game road losing streak. I assume that statistic should make us all feel better, but somehow it accomplishes the exact opposite.
The Pacer Attack. Bogdanovic is the leading scorer among healthy Pacers, putting up 18.8 PPG (42.3% 3P) and fresh off a 35-point outburst against the Nuggets on Sunday night. He’s followed by Sabonis (14.1 PPG, 9.3 RPG), Myles Turner (13.2 PPG, 2.7 BPG), Thad Young (12.4 PPG), and Matthews (11.7 PPG). Indiana has the fifth-best three-point percentage in the NBA at 37.2 percent, and boasts the third-best defense with a defensive rating of 105.2.