Thunder Gameday: OKC Looks to Get Back in Win Column Versus Wizards
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The last two games have been a struggle for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
After defeating the highest-win and No. 1 seeded Boston Celtics on Tuesday in a thrilling contest, the Thunder fell to the Atlanta Hawks the day after by three points and the Brooklyn Nets on Friday in an underwhelming performance.
Oklahoma City is in need of a bounce back performance to keep its No. 2 position in the Western Conference, and it’ll need to be done against a struggling Washington Wizards team.
The Wizards are led by the pairing of Kyle Kuzma and Jordan Poole, but are left with little scoring help on the rest of the roster. It should be a straightforward matchup for the Thunder.
Bradley Beal, Kyle Kuzma, Washington Wizards
Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
ODDS:
The Thunder enter the day as 11.5-point favorites to the Wizards, and the total over/under is 245 points.
KEYS TO THE GAME:
It's no secret that the Wizards have been amongst the NBA's worst performing teams of the season so far, failing to put together much success as the No. 14 seed in the East.
Kuzma is putting a fantastic 2023-24 campaign together however, averaging 22.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game on 46.4% shooting from the field and 35.7% from behind-the-arc. He's one of the top names in trade rumors as the deadline approaches, but will be on the other side of the Thunder tonight.
Poole has emerged as the second option for Washington, but is struggling to shoot the ball efficiently. He's averaging 16.3 points and 3.6 assists per game on just 40.7% shooting from the field and an abysmal 31% from three.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder offense should have an easy scoring night against the worst defensive rated team in the league, with rating comparisons of 121.6 (WAS) compared to 111.7 (OKC).
If Oklahoma City can limit Kuzma and keep Poole from shooting the ball efficiently, it will likely be an easy win to keep its momentum going.
RECORDS:
Oklahoma City Thunder (23-11) at Washington Wizards (6-29)
INJURIES:
Check out our live injury tracker, along with our game day injury report that will release later today.
WHEN:
6 p.m. CT on Monday, Jan. 8, 2024
LOCATION:
Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C.
FINAL WORD:
If all goes well for the Thunder, it should receive a relatively simple win to get back on track going forward. The Eastern trip hasn't brought the team much luck, but things should change tonight.
Oklahoma City will continue the trip as it travels down to Miami to face the Heat at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 10 in Kaseya Center.
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