Tonight, the Oklahoma City Thunder (1-2) will play against the Indiana Pacers (2-2). A game that could turn out to be very interesting.
Paul George will face for the first time the team he played with for seven years, while Thunder fans will have the chance to welcome back Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis.
Keys to the game
Mindset – This will be the most important aspect tonight. In the past two losses, the Thunder have let the opponents command the game. Tonight, Oklahoma City must be aggressive from the tip-off, impose their style of play, and be physical on and off the ball. If they think they could win this game just because of their talent, then it will be another long night for the Thunder.
Patience – It’s obviously still early in the season, the mechanism is not oiled yet, but the Thunder should show more patience on offense. In their first three games, Oklahoma City settled for early shots on the clock, especially three-pointers, without much success (32.4% from behind the arc). The Pacers aren’t a lockdown defensive team (they gave up an average of 116 points in their first four games), and the Thunder can exploit it with ball movement and patience to find the open man.
Rebound – For the past three years, the Thunder have been the best rebounding team in the league. This season, they are 29th with only 38.3 rebounds per game. With the departure of Kanter and a consequently smaller lineup, it might be normal to have a decrease of rebounds. However, this team still has good rebounders. Boxing out and crashing the offensive glass will be important if they want to succeed in the future and especially tonight.
Injury Report
Oklahoma City Thunder
- N/A
Indiana Pacers
- Glen Robinson III (out until mid-January)
- Myles Turner (day to day)
Teams Stats
Oklahoma City Thunder
PPG 101.7– OPP PTS 98.0
FG% 44.3 – 3PT% 32.4 – FT% 66.7
APG 22.3 – RPG 38.3 – TOV 16.0
Indiana Pacers
PPG 118.5 – OPP PTS 116.0
FG% 51.9 – 3PT% 32.3 – FT% 72.2
APG 23.3 – RPG 43.3 – TOV 13.8
