There were plenty of questions swirling around the Oklahoma City Thunder when they lost eight of 12 games after the All-Star break. Those have apparently been answered during OKC’s four-game winning streak. The Thunder are looking a lot like the team that was once considered a threat in the Western Conference.
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SCHEDULING
The Rockets have been running in mud the past few weeks, alternating wins and losses over their past six games. The uninspiring play has kept them in contention for one of the final playoff spots in the Western Conference with four teams – Houston, Dallas, Portland and Utah – all within 1.5 games of each other battling for three positions. Houston has more wins on the road than the three teams they are competing with, which is a good sign as they finish up a two-game trip in Oklahoma City. The bad news is that the Rockets have lost their last two away games and dropped an earlier decision in OKC, 116-108, on Jan. 29.
Oklahoma City clinched its fifth division title in six seasons on Sunday and didn’t even play a game. Thanks to a Portland loss, the Thunder claimed the Northwest crown but has bigger things in mind. OKC has seemingly put the dreadful post-break stretch behind it, winning for the fourth straight time and sweeping a three-game road trip with Saturday’s 115-111 win in Indiana. The Thunder are back home for a three-game set with a showdown against the Spurs looming on Saturday. Looking past the Rockets and Jazz, teams battling for a playoff spot, could be troublesome, especially with a division title already clinched.
INJURIES
Rockets guard James Harden sprained his left ankle in the third quarter of Saturday’s loss to the Hawks. He finished the game with 25 points in 37 minutes, but said “the explosiveness wasn’t there.” He’ll likely be a game-time decision on Tuesday.
OKC is injury-free right now and coach Billy Donovan’s rotations have worked well in the past four games. With a division title wrapped up and the third-seed in the West all but cinched, Donovan said he may rest some players.
KEY MATCHUP
Even when Russell Westbrook doesn’t have a good game he goes triple-double on you. By all accounts, his game Saturday wasn’t one of his best. Westbrook shot just 4 of 17 from the field and committed seven turnovers, but the Thunder were able to pull out a win behind his 14 points, 14 assists and 11 rebounds. Westbrook collected his 14th triple-double of the season, the most in a single season since 1988-89 when Michael Jordan had 15 and Magic Johnson 17. Westbrook averages 23.8 points, 10.4 assists and 7.7 rebounds for the season and has been so prolific in all facets of the game. Westbrook went for 26 points, 14 assists and 10 boards when the Thunder downed the Rockets on Jan. 29 and OKC has yet to lose this season when he goes triple-double. Houston’s defense has been erratic all season, ranking in the bottom third in points, field goal percentage and three-point percentage allowed. That won’t cut it against OKC.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
It’s been a crazy season for the Rockets and things got stranger Saturday when officials removed a game ball because of a sticky substance that Dwight Howard had applied. Howard was not penalized in that game but he shot just 2 of 7. The league said it will review the incident. There’s a chance Howard could receive some discipline from the NBA and a suspension of any length would certainly impact Houston’s playoff chances. Also, James Harden is working on a bum wheel and any ineffectiveness against his former team is more of a problem.
Meanwhile, the Thunder are rolling. They seem to have regained their pre-break form during a four-game winning streak and the bench, which had been a major concern, is contributing mightily. All the headlines, of course, go to Westbrook and Kevin Durant, but Enes Kanter has thrived off the bench, and OKC is finally getting some contributions from the rest of the squad. That works well for the Thunder down the stretch.
Oklahoma City 117, Houston 109
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