By Paris Lawson | Broadcast and Digital Reporter | okcthunder.com
The Thunder returns to Paycom Center following a successful trip to Memphis where the team earned its second consecutive victory in a crunch-time battle. OKC now faces a division foe in the Denver Nuggets which will kick off its home-road back-to-back before Christmas.
- Containing the Joker – Keep an eye on the Thunder’s defense as it works to contain Denver center Nikola Jokic. It will be a tall task in limiting the reigning NBA MVP as he averages 26.3 points, 13.5 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game and also leads the league in passes per game. Limiting his effectiveness on offense means not only taking away his scoring opportunities, but limiting his facilitating ability as well.
- Stand Out Second Unit – OKC’s reserves have played a key role in the team’s performances over the last seven contests. Five different players have scored 10 or more points over the last seven games including Thunder forward Darius Bazley who chipped in 10 points, seven rebounds and four blocks against the Grizzlies. Denver’s bench is coming off a strong performance of its own as the reserves outscored Atlanta 51-34 on Friday behind the high-scoring effort of rookie Bones Hyland.
- Giddey in Gear – Against the Grizzlies, Thunder rookie Josh Giddey dished out career-high 11 assists while posting a career-high-tying 19 points. The effort marked his fifth career double-double and his second point-assists double-double. Over the last two contests, the Australian native has averaged 13.5 points, 11.5 rebounds and 10.5 assists.
“He’s an all-around player. He’s a great team guy for us. Just a special talent.”
–Kenrich Williams
The Thunder is no stranger to overcoming big deficits as it has consistently put its resilience and 48-minute mentality on display throughout the season. With its win over the Grizzlies on Monday, the Thunder logged its sixth comeback of the season of 15 or more points, which marks the most of any team in the league.
Lu Dort on playing in three consecutive close games…
“That’s what we want to be. It’s the NBA, it’s the highest level, not all the games are gonna be a blow out or a big win, so we just got to always stay in the game and finish it. We’ve been working on executing on end of game stuff and situations so every time we’re going to be in those situations, we know we’re gonna be ready.”
The Nuggets (15-14) will be well rested in its matchup with the Thunder on Wednesday after its game that was scheduled for the Sunday against the Brooklyn Nets was postponed. Denver played its last contest on December 17th against Atlanta where four Nuggets scored 20 or more points to defeat the Hawks 133-115. Nikola Jokic and Jeff Green scored 20 points in the effort, Monte Morris chipped in 21 and rookie Bones Hyland led the way with 24.