The Oklahoma City Thunder bounced back from their gut-wrenching defeat to the Dallas Mavericks with a morale-boosting victory over the Boston Celtics Wednesday night. They will look to sustain the momentum from that huge win when they square off with the Atlanta Hawks who are coming off a humiliating 19-point loss to the league-leading Golden State Warriors.
Read on below for an in-depth preview of this matchup and while you’re at it, you can check out our breakdown of the game between the Memphis Grizzlies and the Dallas Mavericks here.
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Atlanta Hawks vs. Oklahoma City Thunder Betting Preview
Atlanta had its three-game winning streak snapped Tuesday with an embarrassing 114-95 defeat to the Golden State Warriors. With Washington’s win against Utah, the Hawks were denied once again in their bid to clinch their first division title since 1993-94.
[sc:NBA240banner ]The Hawks had no answer for Golden State’s free flowing offense with the Warriors scoring 44 baskets on 39 assists. It was the 25th time this season that Steve Kerr’s men have managed to record at least 30 assists in a single game.
To make matters worse for the Hawks, they also had difficulty stopping Golden State’s vaunted transition attack. The Warriors, who average a league-best 23.8 transition points per game, scored 26 transition points against the Hawks on 10-of-14 shooting. That was surprising considering the Hawks are eighth in the league in transition defense this season, allowing just 15.2 transition points per game.
It won’t get any easier for the Hawks as Russell Westbrook and the rest of the Thunder are lying in wait in the final game of their grueling six-game road trip. Westbrook has been on fire after the All-Star break, averaging 32.7 points, 10.7 assists and 9.7 rebounds in 14 games since. He has also recorded six triple-doubles during that period.
The Hawks, however, will take heart in the way they played Westbrook defensively in their last regular-season meeting. They held Westbrook to just 22 points on 8-of-16 shooting from the field. Head coach Mike Budenholzer will more than likely put Jeff Teague against Westbrook. Teague is Atlanta’s primary backcourt defender, with the 26-year-old averaging 1.71 steals per game.
For Atlanta to complete the two-game sweep against Oklahoma City this season, the Hawks need to impose their advantage inside the shaded area once again. The Hawks outscored the Thunder, 54-40, inside the paint in their last encounter.
The Hawks are 6-4 in their last 10 games on the road.
Oklahoma City returned to winning ways Wednesday with a tough 122-118 win over the Boston Celtics. It was a crucial victory for the Thunder who remained half a game above the New Orleans Pelicans for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
To no one’s surprise, it was Russell Westbrook who stole the show for the Thunder once again. Westbrook had 36 points, 10 assists, five rebounds and five steals in another brilliant all-around performance. The All-Star MVP made up for his poor 8-of-26 shooting from the field by going 19 of 22 from the free throw line.
With Thunder big man Serge Ibaka ruled out for at least six weeks because of a knee injury, the onus was on Enes Kanter and Steven Adams to pick up the slack for the Oklahoma City frontcourt. They stepped up big time against the Celtics with both guys putting up double-doubles. Kanter had 22 points and 10 rebounds while Adams had 14 points and 13 boards.
Kanter and Adams have their work cut out for them in their next game, however, as they face the defensive-minded Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks are fourth in the league in scoring defense this season, allowing a measly 96.8 PPG. In fact, in their last meeting with the Hawks on January 23, the Thunder were held to just 93 points on 36-of-87 shooting from the field. That’s way below their season average of 103.1 PPG.
To generate some quick offense, it’s crucial for Oklahoma City to push the pace and dictate the tempo of the game. The Thunder are fourth in the league in fast break points, scoring 16.7 points per outing.
