The Warriors and Thunder will each be playing their third game in four nights when they tip-off Saturday in primetime. The two will meet again at Oracle next week, giving Oklahoma City a chance to prove if they are contenders to Golden State’s Western Conference throne.
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LOOK AHEAD
Golden State concludes its seven-game road trip that started with a trip to Phoenix just before the All-Star break. The Warriors first post-break game was a humbling 32-point loss to Portland and many felt at the time they were ready to fall back to earth. Not so fast. While the games have been closer than what transpired in the first part of the season, the Warriors responded with three straight victories. Following the trip, the Warriors will play 17 of their final 24 games at Oracle, where they have yet to lose a game this season, and the league record for wins in a season is within their reach.
We’ll have a good idea of where the Thunder stand in the Western Conference picture over the next two weeks. Saturday’s games kicks off a stretch of eight contests that includes two matchups with the Warriors, two with the Clippers and a single game with the Spurs. With the exception of a back-to-back with LA and Golden State on Mar. 2 and 3, the schedule is spread out with games against Sacramento, Milwaukee and Minnesota sprinkled between. OKC gave the Warriors game when the teams met on Feb. 6, but allowed the Dubs to close the game on a 12-4 run and pull away for a 116-108 victory.
INJURIES
Warriors backup center Festus Ezeli had arthroscopic surgery to repair his left knee and is expected to miss another four weeks of action. Otherwise, the team remains relatively healthy.
Andre Roberson returned to the Thunder lineup Wednesday after missing 10 games with a knee injury. He played 20 minutes and OKC snapped out of a mini offensive slump by scoring 116 points in the win.
KEY MATCHUP
Kevin Durant has decided to take a small step back in an effort to help the Thunder take a big step forward. In a question over whose better between Durant and Russell Westbrook, the answer clearly should be: who cares. The two have their own unique skill set, and together they make the Thunder scary good. Good enough to dethrone the Warriors? Only time will tell on that one. But Durant has played some of his best basketball against Golden State. Who can forget the 30 points he scored in just 19 minutes last NBA season before rolling his ankle. That injury late in the first half likely cost the Thunder a chance at winning in Oracle. Without K.D., OKC stumbled and lost by five. Then there was the 36 points he scored on 14 of 18 shooting when the Thunder knocked off the Warriors at home in their final meeting last season. Durant also dropped 40 on the Dubs when the two met earlier this season, a game that was there for the taking. Durant is likely to go off again, just because he’s Kevin Durant and he can do that. The Warriors can’t stop him, and few teams have.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
The Warriors are unbeaten this season against the teams considered a serious threat to their title. Golden State has compiled a 9-0 SU and 4-5 ATS record against San Antonio, OKC and the Clippers from the West, and Cleveland and Toronto from the East. But as the games have gotten closer in the post-break portion of the schedule, the Warriors have stuck with their starting unit much longer. It doesn’t sound like a huge deal, but the extra minutes in stressful situations will take a toll on the group that saw limited action in the fourth quarter of games during the first half. Meanwhile, the Thunder welcomed back Roberson to the starting lineup. His return moves Dion Waiters to the second unit and makes OKC stronger off the bench. Not a big deal, right. It is for the Thunder, who need some help off the bench to complement the Westbrook/Durant duo. OKC gets Golden State on the final leg of its tour and takes advantage with a big home win.
Oklahoma City 121, Golden State 115
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