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| 2012-2013 NBA Season | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
@ |  The Oklahoma City Thunder (60-21) |
| April 17th, 2013 | ||
| Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | ||
| 7:00 PM CDT | ||
| Fox Sports Network Oklahoma, Fox Sports Network Wisconsin | ||
| WWLS the Sports Animal (98.1), Newsradio 1620 WTMJ | ||
| Enemy Blogs: Brew Hoop, Bucksketball | ||
| Previous Meetings: Mar 30 (Thunder Lead Season Series 1-0) | ||
| Injury Report: Kendrick Perkins (Out), Derek Fisher (Doubtful), Kevin Martin (Doubtful), Larry Sanders (Doubtful), Marquis Daniels (Questionable) | ||
| Probable Starters | ||
| Russell Westbrook | PG | Brandon Jennings |
| Thabo Sefolosha | SG | Monta Ellis |
| Kevin Durant | SF | Luc Richard Mbah a Moute |
| Serge Ibaka | PF | Ersan Ilyasova |
| Hasheem Thabeet | C | John Henson |
Fun Fact: the last game the Thunder played in the 2011 season was also against the Bucks. I guess the NBA is lazy about scheduling this game so they tack it on or something.
Anyway, don't be afraid of all the players listed as out in the preview chart for this game. The Thunder are simply giving those guys ample rest for the playoffs, and I highly doubt their injuries will keep them out beyond this game. Both the Thunder and the Bucks are locked into their final playoff seeds, so chances are both teams will be looking to get a rest for their starters. Regardless of the situation, both teams will probably empty their benches in the late fourth.
It might be easy to say that today's game will be a total write-off. But we will get to see at least two quarters of legit NBA action, and it'll be nice to see Kevin Durant and the gang in their relaxed regular season modes one more time. You know, where they can mess around, not make every shot matter, and just pull off ridiculous plays. One last chance to party before the storm.
Of course, there's also the chance to see the five players on the roster who never really get to play. Namely Daniel Orton, DeAndre Liggins, Jeremy Lamb, Ronnie Brewer, and Perry Jones III. Any of them could be significant factors should a Thunder player go down with injury during the playoffs (knock on wood). So it will be nice to get a long-overdue scouting report on them.
Anyway, it's been a pleasure writing previews for you this season. Have fun watching the exhibition game tonight, and I'll see you on the other side. The playoffs await!
Prediction: Oklahoma City Thunder 99, Milwaukee Bucks 98.
If you are looking for tickets to upcoming games, you can find Oklahoma City Thunder tickets here.
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