Fresh off winning the All-Star game MVP award, Russell Westbrook, along with running mate Kevin Durant, will look to extend the Oklahoma City Thunder’s win streak to three games later tonight. The Thunder will be hosting the Indiana Pacers, who are currently sixth in the Eastern Conference.
Read on for more about this game. You can also check out our breakdown of Jazz vs. Wizards.
Paul George must be aching to play a meaningful game. George, who scored 41 worthless points in the All-Star game, is all set to lead his team in the second half of the season beginning with a matchup with the Thunder on the road.
George is unquestionably Pacers’ leader and best player, as he tops the team in points (23.3), rebounds (7.1), and steals (1.8). His all-around brilliance, however, wasn’t enough to help Indiana avoid a 117-95 loss to Charlotte on February 10, when he scored 22 points with eight rebounds, and six assists.
Nevertheless, Indiana needs George to be at his best again this coming Friday, particularly on offense, where his contribution is expected to help offset the production of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.
The Pacers also have capable scorers beside George, including the likes of Monta Ellis, C.J. Miles, and the rapidly improving Myles Turner.
Ellis is averaging 13.9 points per game, while Miles is putting up 11.9 on the season. Turner, on the other hand, has been a good source of points for the Pacers’ frontcourt, as the Texas alum is producing 9.9 points per game. He’s also becoming a dependable presence for the Pacers defense that ranks eighth in the league with 100.3 points allowed per contest.
The over is 3-1 in the Pacers’ last four road games. They are averaging 102.2 points away from Indiana this season.
After taking care of a couple of patsies in the form of Phoenix and New Orleans, the Thunder return to action later tonight at home, where they are 9-1 SU and 7-2-1 ATS in their last 10 games.
Oklahoma City will be counting on Durant and Westbrook to deliver the goods on offense against the Pacers.
Durant is third in the league in scoring with 27.7 points per game. He’s gotten even more dangerous over the Thunder’s last 15 games in which he averaged 30.0 points on 49 percent shooting. Durant’s going to be a matchup problem for Indiana, which will also have to find a way to bottle up a lightning in Westbrook.
Meanwhile, Westbrook is averaging 24.1 points thus far this season, while also doing a terrific job of feeding his teammates with 10.0 assists per game.
Aside from the perimeter threat of Durant and Westbrook, the Thunder will draw on their decisive advantage inside the paint against Indiana. Oklahoma City is third overall in points in the shaded area with 45.2 per outing. That’s partly because of their astounding offensive rebounding (13.9 per game) and ability to turn those into points. The Thunder are third in the NBA in second-chance points with 47.4 a contest.
In their 121-95 win over New Orleans on February 11, the Thunder grabbed nine offensive rebounds and scored 54 paint points, while going 12-for-32 from beyond the arc.
