Records: Oklahoma City Thunder (20-6) at Utah Jazz (13-11)

Time: 9:30 PM Central Standard Time

Place: EnergySolutions Arena, Salt Lake City, UT

TV: ESPN

Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1)

Enemy Blog(s): SLC Dunk, Salt City Hoops

***

The Thunder conclude their road trip tonight by paying a visit to the Utah Jazz. Utah is struggling to stay above .500 after starting the season well, but still have a strong 11-4 home record and have beaten a number of quality opponents so far. Though they are on a two game losing streak, the Jazz have played well enough this season to defeat the Nuggets, Clippers, and Trail Blazers, so OKC must have a better game plan in place tonight if they are to recover from last night's poor effort.

The Jazz are an inside-out team, which is the exact opposite of the Thunder. Their offensive thrust begins with their two talented big men, Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson. Both of these players have had good success against the Thunder in the past, taking turns scoring 30+ points against the Thunder interior. Given OKC's struggles against LaMarcus Aldridge this week, the Thunder must acknowledge that their fortunes will lie on being physical with Jefferson and Millsap and keeping them off the offensive boards.

Utah is not a highly potent team from the guard position, but one player that the Thunder must be aware of is Devin Harris. Harris is yet another super-quick scoring point guard who can get into the lane and finish around the rim. It would be terrific if the Thunder were able to limit Harris below his career high tonight (47 is the high water mark). The Thunder guards have a clear advantage over the Jazz back-court, but they must be patient and allow their advantages to manifest over the course of the game.

Up to this point it has been easy to give the Thunder the benefit of the doubt in many of these games, but I think that tonight is the first one where the burden is on the Thunder to prove that they're worth their salt. At this point in the first half of the season, we cannot still just assume that they'll come out focused on defense, rebound well, and take care of the ball; they haven't been, and now they have to reverse all of these trends.

I think the Thunder will be competitive, but I feel that the Kings game wasn't their true reality check; rather, this game will be. I believe this will be the case because OKC is being stripped away of its self-perception in order to better understand who they really are. I think that the last aspect of that off-reality is in their self-assurance that they can always bounce back. In the NBA, it's just not that easy.

***

Prediction: Jazz 98, Thunder 95

Records: Oklahoma City Thunder (20-5) at Sacramento Kings (9-16)

Time: 9:30 PM Central Standard Time

Place: Power Balance Pavilion, Sacramento, California

TV: TNT

Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1)

Enemy Blog(s): Sactown Royalty, Cowbell Kingdom

***

The Thunder find themselves in Sacramento tonight to take on the talented but inconsistent Kings. Sacramento remains in a state of flux these days, with the team wondering if it is going to be relocated and the front office abandoning its head coach Paul Westphal after only seven games. Keith Smart picked up the reins to try and right the ship and has had mixed returns. While the team has been inconsistent with its performance this season, one look at their win column tells us that they are dangerous. With wins over the Lakers, Spurs, Pacers, and Trail Blazers, the Kings have shown that they can compete with playoff-caliber teams.

The Kings have a young talented core in Tyreke Evans, DeMarcus Cousins, and Marcus Thornton, a trio that can play competitively against most teams. Overall the team struggles in scoring, defense, and passing the ball, but the one area in which they do well, which should give OKC some concern, is in rebounding. The team is currently ranked 6th overall in rebounding, and in a recent win against the Warriors, the team piled up 55 rebounds (20 offensive), with Cousins grabbing 20 and center Jason Thompson grabbing 16. As we have seen in the early part of the season, whenever OKC is playing unfocused, their rebounding is the first thing that suffers. If the Thunder are to overcome the Kings tonight, their number one concern needs to be in rebounding the ball and keeping Cousins & Thompson off the offensive glass.

Offensively, the most interesting head-to-head match-up is going to be Russell Westbrook vs Tyreke Evans. They are both young, physical, explosive guards and we know that Westbrook relishes the individual match-up challenges. The test for Westbrook tonight will be to dial his penetration game back a few notches, because as we have seen in the past, Evans has fared well in keeping Westbrook below his season averages. Against the Warriors, a team not exactly known for their stout defense, Westbrook turned the ball over nine times, offsetting his otherwise very productive night. OKC has competitive advantages at various spots, but Westbrook vs Evans may be the most marginal one so the Thunder would do best to look elsewhere. Also, defensively, the Thunder have struggled as of late defending scoring guards (as you may have noticed). Tonight might be a good time to start reversing that trend.

Kevin Durant should have a definitive advantage tonight because the Kings do not have anyone with the length or strength to match up with him. What always concerns us though is whether we get the passive Durant or the active Durant. The passive Durant likes to take lots of 3-pointers and inadvertently turn himself into a one-dimensional player. The active Durant likes to play out of the post, drive hard to the rim, shoot baseline jumpers, and whip passes to open shooters. The passive Durant can shoot his team out of a game; the active Durant has no equal.

I predict that we see an active Durant tonight, at least for a half (preferably the 2nd half). That, combined with continued strong bench play by the Thunder's 2nd unit, should push the Thunder past the Kings tonight.

Unless, of course, the Thunder forget to rebound.

***

Prediction: Thunder 100, Kings 89

Records: Oklahoma City Thunder (19-5) at Golden State Warriors (8-13)

Time: 9:30 PM Central Standard Time

Place: Oracle Arena, Oakland, California

TV: CSN Bay Area & NBA TV, FS Oklahoma (Cox 37, HD 722, Tulsa Cox 27, DirectTV 679, UVerse 754)

Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1), KNBR 680

Enemy Blog(s): Golden State Of Mind, Warriors World

***

The Thunder travel south to Golden State tonight, less than 24 hours of a fantastic if controversial win over the Trail Blazers. In that game, OKC played the way we always hope they would play - focused, physical, and fearless. The team is now sitting atop the entire league at 19-5 and facing a Warriors team that is still learning the ropes under the tutelage of their new coach, Mark Jackson.

You know what that means, right?

TRAP GAME

We will all be sitting on pins and needles as we wait for tonight's game to start. Are we going to get the Thunder team that destroyed lesser opponents like the Pistons? Or are we going to see an unfocused squad that can lose to a team like the Wizards?

In the first match-up, a number of Thunder players posted outstanding stat lines, and we could be in for more of the same tonight. The danger is though that on any given night, any team can get hot from the field. Any team can win a game. The difference between a talented but streaky team and a playoff team is that the playoff team forces the streaky team to play its game, rather than the other way around.

We will look to see if the Thunder can maintain their defensive physical presence tonight, both in guarding the perimeter as well as guard the rim and grab rebounds. Rebounding was the biggest reason why OKC beat Portland, and if they can replicate the effort, tonight's game will go much more easily than if it turns into a shooting contest. Also, one of the under-reported elements of the Blazers win was that the Thunder bench played very well on the road and gave the team extended minutes where they were able to sustain their play. I think the bench will again play a big role tonight. Reggie Jackson is growing by the day, and taking on a team that is not exactly known for their defense should allow him the opportunity to learn some more in-game lessons.

I predict that there will be spots where the Thunder will be lured into playing Golden State's game. However, the difference will be if OKC can revert to their own strengths, guard the perimeter, and silence the crowd with consistent play.

***

Prediction: Thunder 105, Warriors 92

GameThread at 9:00 CST

Records: Oklahoma City Thunder (18-5) at Portland Trail Blazers (14-10)

Time: 9:00 PM Central Standard Time

Place: Rose Garden, Portland, Oregon

TV: Comcast and NBATV

Radio: 750AM The Game, Thunder Radio Network, Fox Sports Oklahoma

Enemy Blog(s): Blazers Edge, Portland Roundball Society

Previous Meeting(s): Jan. 3 (Portland leads series 1-0)

***

The Thunder head north to Portland to face a Trail Blazers team that was responsible for handing OKC their first (and only) home loss of this season. Tonight's game comes at an uneasy time for the Thunder, as they just wrapped up a week where their play could most favorably be described as "uneven." OKC played one good half against Dallas, one good quarter against Memphis, and for the rest of the time seemed like they were always the second-best team on the court. Portland is a good, sound team and has the ability to make OKC look the same way once again.

If we hearken back to the first game against the Blazers, that match-up was one where the Thunder got weaker over time as the Blazers got stronger. OKC played fast and lose while Portland played conservatively, protected the ball, and rode the broad shoulders of LaMarcus Aldridge to the win. By the end of the game, OKC was chucking up bad shots and had little fight left, scoring only 19 in the final quarter.

How best to avoid a repeat performance? It will not be easy, since Portland, while struggling on the road, has been dominant at home. The Thunder are a respectable 9-4 on the road so far, but as we saw in both LA and San Antonio, they can struggle with their focus and fundamentals.

A few key facets:

• I checked in with some of the Blazer fans to see why they thought Portland did so well against the Thunder, and they came to the same conclusion that we did. Portland started out playing OKC physically, and by the end of the game Kevin Durant and company had retreated to the perimeter. Durant will once again be going up against the physical defensive play of Gerald Wallace, but this time around KD must be committed to working on his inside game and not drift away from the rim again. If we see him hoist more than five 3-pointers again, we'll know whether or not the Blazer defense is getting to him.
• Ray Felton will not be suiting up tonight. This late-game scratch is going to pose an interesting dilemma for the Thunder. While Felton is a quick pass-first point guard who likes to get to the rim, his replacement Jamal Crawford is a gunner who can shoot his team in or out of a game. Russell Westbrook will have the advantage in that individual match-up, but Westbrook must be careful not to allow it to turn into a mano y mano affair. There will be times when Westbrook can exploit the match-up, but it has to be within the overall context and he must be careful not to lose the ball on his forays to the rim. Marcus Camby, even at age 37, is still going strong defending the rim and in last game alone had 20 rebounds and two blocks.
• The Thunder lost twice last week to teams that killed them by shooting a high percentage from the outside. The Blazers are...a good perimeter jump-shooting team. In their last game alone, Nicolas Batum shot 9-15 from 3-point range and the team shot 15-33 overall. The Thunder must focus on these shooters and crowd them out so they do not get good looks.
• Don't say anything about Aldridge's car.

***

Prediction: Trail Blazers 98, Thunder 92

GameThread at 7:30 CST

Records: Oklahoma City Thunder (18-4) at San Antonio Spurs (15-9)

Time: 7:30 PM Central Standard Time

Place: AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas

TV: KENS 5

Radio: WOAI

Enemy Blog(s): Pounding the Rock, 48 Minutes of Hell

Previous Meeting(s): Jan. 8 (Thunder leads series 1-0)

***

The Thunder travel to San Antonio tonight to face the Spurs, owners of the best home record in the league and they sit atop their division standings. San Antonio has had some ups and downs this season, as you would expect from a calculating veteran team that is looking to keep everyone healthy over the long haul. They most recently defeated the New Orleans Hornets for their third win in a row and are getting the kind of guard play they need in order to dominate in the scoring column. In fact, despite the long held belief that the Spurs are a plodding team, they are currently 6th overall in scoring and 3rd in team assists.

If we refer back to the first meeting between the two teams, The Thunder played in front well for the first half and then exploded in the 3rd quarter to put the game away. Kevin Durant was the high point man with 21, but he only needed nine shots to get there. I know I was surprised at how easily OKC handled the Spurs that day, but it makes me wary that they might think this time out will be just as straightforward.

I think that the big test tonight for the Thunder will be to keep the Spurs perimeter players in check. In their first game, the Spurs did not play their best in terms of hitting open shots. With the home crowd supporting them and the challenge of facing the best team in the league in front of them, I think the Spurs will do much better offensively this time out. OKC will need to do a good job staying with their men on defense so that Tony Parker's drives and kicks do not splinter the Thunder defense.

OKC is coming off of a grueling win last night, but how much of a factor will that be? In game one, the Thunder were wrapping up a back-to-back-to-back, and suffered little because of it. I think this points toward the evidence that it is the style of game that can wear on the Thunder, not the pace. If the Spurs can play physical ball, I think they can capitalize on the Thunder's schedule. However, if it becomes a more open court game, OKC's trio of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden will put the Spurs defense to the test.

Prediction: Thunder 105, Spurs 102

GameThread at 7, be there!

Records: Memphis Grizzlies (12-10) at Oklahoma City Thunder (17-4)

Time: 7:00 PM Central Standard Time

Place: Chesapeake Energy Arena Seasoned by Zatarain's, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

TV: Fox Sports Network Oklahoma, Cox Sports Television

Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1), KMEZ 106.7 FM

Enemy Blog(s): Straight Outta Vancouver, 3 Shades of Blue

Previous Meeting(s): Dec. 28, Jan. 10 (Thunder lead series 2-0)

***

The Thunder welcome their favorite sparring partners the Memphis Grizzlies into the Chesapeake Arena tonight. The Thunder are coming off of a necessary win against a shorthanded Mavericks team on Wednesday, while the Grizzlies are starting to roll again, after having defeated both the Denver Nuggets and Atlanta Hawks this week. Despite having lost both Zach Randolph and Darrell Arthur, the Grizzlies continue to find a way to stay competitive, and there is no doubt they will remain so tonight. They have had a very strange run though - they lost three games, won seven, lost four, and then won two. How do we know which Grizzlies team will show up tonight?

I checked in with Tom Lorenzo of Straight Outta Vancouver, and here is what he had to say:

I think the key to look at here is the schedule. Aside from the most recent 2-game winning streak (Atlanta and Denver), we haven't really beaten any teams that we "weren't supposed to beat." Looking at our 7-game win streak, we beat the Kings, Warriors, Pistons, Hornets (twice), Knicks and the Derrick Rose-less Bulls. If you're a serious playoff team, those are the games you're "supposed to win." We then went on the road and lost four straight games to the Blazers, Clippers, Suns and Spurs -- three possible playoff teams in there. We have losses to the Thunder (twice), Lakers, Bulls (with Rose), Jazz... see a pattern here? I wish I could tell you that we can turn it on and elevate our game -- and I'm not trying to take anything away from the most recent wins -- but we tend to struggle against the true title contenders. We have the horses to compete, but often times we miss that finisher. It sounds like I'm being a bit of a downer here, but all I've ever said, since Zach Randolph went down, was just get us to the playoffs with a healthy team, including Randolph. I don't expect this team, as currently constructed, to be able to run with the Thunder and Lakers on a nightly basis. We're a good team, sometimes a very good team, but we need a complete roster to compete. We're good enough to beat the Kings and Pistons of the world without Z-Bo, but we'll struggle against you guys -- though we won't go down without a fight!

Regardless of who suits up for the Grizzlies, they will always play stout defense and so always will be competitive. If we look back at game two, which also lacked Randolph and Arthur, you can see that every quarter was closely played. Memphis has a way of finding guys to step up to take on the additional scoring load, whether it be Marc Gasol, Rudy Gay, or O.J. Mayo. However, the one area where Memphis cannot simply plug in pieces, is in their rebounding. In the second game, OKC had a major advantage on the boards, winning 51-39 overall and 14-10 on the offensive glass. They will need to repeat this performance if they want to come out with a 3rd victory.

Offensively, OKC's main advantage is at the guard position with Russell Westbrook and James Harden. Westbrook had a huge game last time out, scoring a game high 30 points. He clearly understands that he has an advantage over both Mike Conley and Mayo and will continue to force the action. OKC's challenge will be to give Westbrook some better support this time out. Kevin Durant struggled against the Grizz as he sometimes does, since Memphis has in Tony Allen one of the premier perimeter defenders in the game. Durant will need to be more aggressive in looking for shots close to the rim, both compared to last Grizzlies game as well as Wednesday night. If KD can generate more efficient offense this time out, the Thunder should have enough to hold off the Grizzlies.

Prediction: Thunder 100, Grizzlies 92

Make sure to check out our GameThread at 7.

Records: The Oklahoma City Thunder (16-4) vs. The Dallas Mavericks (14-8)

Time: 7:00 PM Central Standard Time

Place: The American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas

TV: NBATV, Fox Sports Network Oklahoma, Fox Sports Network Southwest

Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1), ESPN 103.3 KESN-FM

Enemy Blog(s): Mavs Moneyball, That Two Man Game

Previous Meeting: Dec. 29th, Jan. 2 (Series Tied 1-1)

The Thunder travel back to Dallas tonight for a third meeting against the world champion Mavericks. When the two teams last faced each other, they seemed to be moving in different directions. The Thunder were 5-0 and looking to put a stamp on their renewed confidence against Dallas, and the Mavs were 1-4 and trying to figure out how to remake themselves this season after losing key players from last year's championship squad.

Oh how one game can turn the tides.

In that January 2nd game, the Mavericks finally began to right their ship, defeating the Thunder handily. Since that moment, the Mavs are 13-4 and are getting good contributions from Vince Carter, Rodrigue Beaubois, and Delonte West. As a result, they now sit at the top of the Southwest.

During the pre-season, the new-look Mavs seemed to have two things going against them since they lost Tyson Chandler and DeShawn Stevenson - defense and rebounding. Not surprisingly, these were two areas that the Thunder wanted to exploit, and did so during their first match-up in December. Since then however, the Mavs have morphed into a much better team on both fronts - they are 10th in rebounding and 5th in points allowed. These facts should tell us that, despite the team's new mechanics, they are still doing the same things carried them to wins last season.

For the Thunder to let go of the Clippers loss and deal with the Mavs tonight, they will need to show much greater patience early in the game, since Dallas thrives on facing teams that like to waste possessions. OKC also will need to continue to do good work on the defensive boards in order to eliminate the shot attempt disparity that often haunts them. Finals MVP Dirk Nowitzki is still getting healthy, but in the past few games has given great effort to help the rebounding cause.

Defensively, the Thunder will be facing a jump-shooting Mavericks team that is getting great production out of Dirk, Jason Terry, Carter, and Shawn Marion. Terry is the guy to worry about the most though, because he is the one player who can get 30 points in the blink of an eye and has a knack for late-game moments.

I believe the Thunder will be at full attention tonight and will not be sloppy in either their defense or their rebounding as they were in the 2nd match-up. On the strength of these two facets, I think they will put behind their loss and get back in the win column.

Prediction: Thunder 102, Mavericks 95

The Oklahoman reports that Thabo Sefolosha will be missing his second consecutive game due to a sore foot. Coach Scott Brooks reported Sefalosha's status during the morning shoot around today.

Sefalosha Out Against Mavericks | NewsOK

James Harden started in place of Sefolosha against the Clippers, and as we saw Monday night, struggled in the starter's role. Ordinarily Harden is the first man off the bench and runs the offense when Russell Westbrook takes a break. Interestingly, Brooks did not commit to saying that Harden would again be the starter tonight.

While Harden is one of the more talented players on the team, Brooks expressed concern over tampering with his second unit:

"Definitely, we've talked about it. We're trying to work through it. I don't know what we'll do tonight. But there's definitely concern because that second unit's been really good. It's been changed a few times even with Eric (Maynor) being out."

If Harden does not start, reserve shooting guard Daequan Cook would be the most likely candidate to step in. The scenario offers both concern and opportunity; Cook seldom gets more than 15 minutes per game, so this chance to get some starter's minutes might push him to demonstrate more multi-dimensional skills than just hoisting 3-pointers. However, if Cook does start, he would be up against a pair of explosive offensive players in either Vince Carter or Jason Terry. The defensive challenge could be significant.

If the Thunder were playing a lesser team, I'd even consider sliding Reggie Jackson into the starting point guard role and shift Russell Westbrook to the two-guard slot. However, against a veteran team like the Mavericks, I think they would pounce early on the young point guard so such a move would be ill advised at this stage of Jackson's career.

Game time is in a few hours, so we will find out soon enough.