The NBA’s top two scoring teams will be on display Saturday in primetime when the Thunder try to end Golden State’s 40-game regular season home winning streak. The Warriors have squelched every challenge from the NBA’s second-best teams and can add OKC to the list when they meet for the first time.
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SCHEDULING
What we have coming up on Saturday night is a rare treat these days in the NBA when championship contender Oklahoma City meets defending champion Golden State. Fans will see two well-rested opponents. Both clubs will have last played on Wednesday night, giving each two nights off. The Warriors downed the Wizards in Washington, visited the President at the White House on Thursday in honor of their 2015 championship and then made the cross-country flight home. The Thunder won at home against Orlando and will head to the Bay Area on Friday.
Golden State puts its 40-game regular season home win streak on the line in the first meeting of the season between the teams. The Warriors last lost at Oracle Arena on January 27, 2015, falling in overtime to Chicago. That was one of just two home losses for the Dubs last season. OKC does have a one-game win streak going in its series with the Warriors, having won the last meeting last season, 127-115 in Oklahoma City. Including Saturday’s contest, the two will meet three times in a month.
INJURIES
Warriors center Festus Ezeli has missed the last four games with soreness in his left knee that seems to get more mysterious by the day. Results of a recent MRI were said to “inconclusive” by the team. Ezeli hasn’t played since experiencing discomfort in the knee in a win over San Antonio on Jan. 25.
Reserve guard Andre Roberson remains out of the Thunder lineup due to a sprained right knee. He’s missed the last five games and isn’t expected to be ready until the middle of February.
KEY MATCHUP
This game certainly won’t lack star power and Golden State’s Stephen Curry is the biggest star of them all. If you still had any doubt that Curry is best scorer in the game, take a look at how he dissected Washington for 51 points on Wednesday. Curry hit 19 of his 28 field goals for a ridiculous 67.9 percent. And they weren’t gimme’s like DeAndre Jordan constantly gets. Of his field goal attempts, 16 – or 57 percent – were taken from beyond the three-point line. And his percentage from there was even better. Curry made 11 threes knocking down 68.8 percent from beyond the arc. His lowest shooting percentage came from 15-feet away with no one in his face when he hit 2 of 3 free throws for 66.7 percent. Curry’s been good against the best this season. He dropped 37 on the Spurs and collected 35 against the Cavs in a pair of 30-point wins. The guy has limitless range and his teammates constantly seek him out. If Curry gets hot, he’ll continue to fire away.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
The Thunder have already played three games against the Timberwolves, three against the Denver Nuggets and three against the Utah Jazz. Enough already. It’s time to see how they fare against the league’s very best. Playing the top team in the association should bring out the best in teams, but the Warriors have demolished the other top teams, claiming wins of 30 points or more against San Antonio, Cleveland and Chicago. The Warriors also rise to the challenge. There will be no shortage of offensive talent on the court and the Thunder need Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook to play out of their minds to claim a victory. Curry gets the headlines, but Golden State’s bench play is again phenomenal. That will be the difference.
Golden State 122, Oklahoma City 117
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Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here so start betting with BookMaker today! Bet on the NBA today as the Oklahoma City Thunder and Golden State Warriors square off Saturday, February 6, 2016, at 9 p.m. ET at Oracle Arena. The game will be televised nationally on ESPN.
