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Warriors take on Thunder on Wednesday
By: Sam Chase - StatFox
Published: 11/20/2017  at  8:15:00 PM
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GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS

at OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER

Tip-off: Wednesday, 8:00 p.m. ET
Line: NA, Total: NA

On Wednesday, Kevin Durant returns to OKC for the first time since winning a ring.

The most anticipated game of the 2016-17 NBA regular season was probably when Kevin Durant first returned to Oklahoma City. He was greeted with boos and "cupcake" insults. It all probably bothered him quite a bit—he's known to be sensitive—but the whole spectacle read as a little sad when Golden State trounced the Thunder and went on to win a title with KD as its leading scorer. OKC is stocked with more talent this year, having acquired SFs Paul George and Carmelo Anthony to slot into its starting lineup alongside PG Russell Westbrook, but the new teammates are yet to gel, and the team's hanging around .500. The Warriors, meanwhile, are as deadly as ever, if perhaps not headed for the 70-win season that some predicted. Thunder fans still looking to see KD humbled in their arena are likely in for a disappointment when the Dubs come to town for a game on Wednesday night—partly because he's only considered questionable to take the court.

It's rare that the Warriors give a game their full effort and come away with a loss, but such was the case in Boston last Thursday. A 17-point third quarter lead was erased in the blink of an eye, and Golden State fell 92-88 to the red-hot Celtics. It was a startlingly slow night on offense for the Warriors, who entered the contest averaging nearly 120 PPG. The team bounced back for two straight wins soon after, though, beating Philadelphia and Brooklyn to round out a three-game trip to the Northeast. After being held to nine points against Boston, PG Stephen Curry scored 35 points against Philly and 39 against the Nets, with the latter performance being his season-high for points. He also had 11 rebounds, seven assists and six steals in that game. He also fouled out. With Durant sitting out, SG Klay Thompson stepped up to hit some big fourth quarter shots and led the Warriors to victory, scoring 23 points and snagging 10 boards. (The Nets guards didn't feel like boxing out, apparently.) KD, who is shooting 53.3% from the field on the year, was out with a left ankle sprain, and is considered day-to-day. He has an excellent game against Philadelphia, scoring 27 points on 11-of-20 shooting, despite only hitting 1 of 6 from three. SF Andre Iguodala stayed in his sixth man role for consistency's sake while Durant was out against Brooklyn; he and SF Omri Casspi, who started, each scored 12 points. PF Draymond Green figures to have some interesting banter when guarding George and Anthony.

Who would have believed a year ago, in the midst of his record-breaking season that brought him to heights of usage never before seen, Westbrook would be the third-leading scorer on the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2017-18. While the situation last season was untenable—Westbrook took way too many shots and his teammates' best talents were subjugated—at least the team had a winning record. The additions of George and Anthony cost the team depth without bringing in much diversity of skills, as the two small forwards do similar things on the court. George is the far better player overall, averaging a league-best 2.4 steals per game entering Monday night's game against the Pelicans. Melo is yet to do away with some of his worst stat-chasing tendencies, and anyone looking for "Team USA Melo" is going to need a time machine. That said, the potential for these two to work alongside Westbrook is far beyond what we've seen thus far, and the team ought to improve as the season goes on. After a three-game winning streak, there was an abrupt halt in optimism on Friday night, when the Thunder fumbled a 23-point lead and lost to the Spurs by three. While he had nine rebounds and assists each, Westbrook's 5-of-22 shooting from the floor was ultimately the team's undoing. C Stephen Adams was strong, scoring 16 points and grabbing eight rebounds. SG Andre Roberson, while an elite defender, is a total liability on offense—he scored two points on two shots in 25 minutes against the Spurs. SF Jerami Grant (9.1 PPG) is the biggest contributor off of a shallow bench.


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