OKC improved to 3-7 SU in games with the other 40-win teams in the league following Wednesday’s victory over the Clippers. The Thunder’s first victory came over San Antonio in the season opener. If they are to be included in the same conversation with those teams, wins will gain them entry to the discussion. They get three more shots at the Spurs beginning with Saturday’s primetime matchup.
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SCHEDULING
The Thunder erased the memory of their worst defeat of the season by knocking off the Clippers 120-108 Wednesday night in a rematch from the Mar. 2 game where OKC surrendered a 16-point lead with less than eight minutes to play and lost by five. The win also gave the Thunder a renewed sense of hope against the league’s best. OKC will get primed for its showdown with San Antonio by hosting the Timberwolves on Friday night in the first of a back-to-back set. Heading into San Antonio, OKC is just 3-6 SU and 2-7 ATS when playing the second game of a back-to-back on the road.
San Antonio’s eight-game winning streak ended at Indiana on Monday, but the Spurs responded by starting a new streak the next night in Minnesota, upending the Wolves without the services of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. The Spurs started a five-game homestand with Thursday’s contest with Chicago and play seven of their next eight inside the ATT Center where they’ve compiled a 30-0 SU and 20-10 ATS record this season.
INJURIES
Dion Waiters left the Thunder this week to deal with a death in his family and the team has given him as much time to grieve as he needs. It’s not known if Waiters will return in time for Saturday’s game.
The Spurs rested Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili while Tony Parker sat with a toe injury on his left foot in Monday’s win at Minnesota. All three are expected to be back in the lineup for Saturday’s game.
KEY MATCHUP
What Russell Westbrook is doing with a basketball now is borderline ridiculous. The Thunder guard torched the Clippers for 25 points, 20 assists and 11 rebounds for his 11th triple-double of the season in a 120-108 win on Wednesday. Westbrook has triple-doubled in three of his past five games and is tied for the league lead in them. He also joined Magic Johnson, Oscar Robertson and Isiah Thomas as the only players with at least 25 points, 20 assists and 10 rebounds in a game. Since the All-Star break, Westbrook is averaging nearly 13 assists per game and has dished out double figure dimes in eight of the 10 games. Do you remember when he was so selfish? Westbrook opened the season with 33 points and 10 assists in a 112-106 home win over San Antonio and he’s not afraid of attacking the top defensive club in the NBA.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
It’s been a battle for the Thunder since the break, but a win Wednesday put some breathing room between them and the Clippers for the No. 3 spot in the Western Conference. And until OKC proves on a more regular basis it can close out games, there will be some questions regarding their legitimacy as a contender. The Thunder’s record against the league’s top teams is concerning. Prior to Wednesday’s win over the Clips, OKC had been 2-7 SU and 1-7-1 ATS against the Warriors, Clippers, Spurs, Cavaliers and Raptors. The first win among that group came in the season opener against San Antonio and the teams will meet three more times before the season ends. It’s not about winning the most games during the regular season for the Spurs, rather being in one piece for the postseason. But putting the Thunder in their place on primetime is appealing.
San Antonio 111, Oklahoma City 105
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