Thunder Gameday: OKC Ends Back-to-Back All-Star Break Return Against the Wizards

Back-to-backs may be tough for NBA teams, but the Oklahoma City Thunder is entering tonight's game in the best shape possible.

Against the LA Clippers last night, the Thunder defeated the Clippers 129-107 in an impressive showing from its starting lineup. It keeps racking up wins against the best of the Western Conference, but will have to matchup with the Eastern Conference this time. 

Luckily for Oklahoma City, Washington is undergoing a tough rebuild. 

With just nine wins on the year, the Wizards have performed as one of the worst teams in the entire league. Although Kyle Kuzma has comfortably taken the No. 1 scoring option with 21.8 points per game, the rest of the roster has been lackluster, doing little to help win games. 

The Thunder should have a substantially easier night than it did against the Clippers, but the back-to-back fatigue could cause some unexpected trouble. 

ODDS:

The Thunder enter the day as 14.5-point favorites against the Clippers, and the total over/under is 241.5 points.

KEYS TO THE GAME:

The last time Oklahoma City played Washington, on Jan. 8, it came out with a 136-128 win. 

Although it wasn't pretty, the Thunder managed to have a strong offensive night behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren's combined 63 points that carried it through. Defensively it struggled to contain a relatively weak Wizards offensive lineup though, headed by Kuzma and Jordan Poole. 

Washington is now without its anchor at the center position in Daniel Gafford, who was traded to the Dallas Mavericks at the trade deadline. Holmgren already dominated the paint before, but especially now, he should be able to take the clear advantage there tonight. 

As long as Oklahoma City plays the way it has for most of the season, including last night's win over the Clippers, it shouldn't have a problem gaining its 39th win of the season. Fatigue could set in, but throughout the year its roster has shown the ability to overcome that. 

RECORDS:

Oklahoma City Thunder (38-17) vs. Washington Wizards (9-46)

INJURIES:

Check out our live injury tracker, along with our game day injury report that will release later today.

WHEN:

Friday, Feb. 23, 2024 at 7 p.m. CT

LOCATION:

Paycom Center - Oklahoma City, OK

TV/RADIO:

Bally Sports Oklahoma, NBA League Pass, 98.1 FM The Sports Animal

Live Stream: fuboTV (Start Your Free Trial)

FINAL WORD:

While no opponent can be underestimated in the NBA, as long as everything goes as its gone through the Thunder's highly successful season, defeating the Wizards shouldn't prove to be too difficult. 

Following the game, Oklahoma City is set to travel to Houston in a matchup against the Rockets on Sunday, Feb. 25 at 6 p.m. CT.

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