OKC faces their kryptonite in the Timberwolves

- aprile 07, 2019

https://thunderousintentions.com/2019/04/07/okc-thunder-minnesota-preview/3/

With playoff implications in play, the OKC Thunder needs to account for the Minnesota Timberwolves. TI presents what OKC must do.

With three losses against the T-Wolves already this season, the OKC Thunder seek to avoid the sweep as they travel to Minnesota for a day-time thriller.

With playoff implications in play, the OKC Thunder needs to account for the Minnesota Timberwolves. TI presents what OKC must do.

With three losses against the T-Wolves already this season, the OKC Thunder seek to avoid the sweep as they travel to Minnesota for a day-time thriller.

In their last matchup, the Thunder were able to overcome Blake Griffin and the Pistons with a final score of 123-110. This game gave fans a glimpse of everything that’s gone right with OKC this year. Paul George led the way with a 30 point effort. The Timberwolves are also coming off of a win against the Miami Heat lead by Dario Saric‘s 19 points.

Before winning their past two contests, OKC has been struggling as of lately, losing six of their last ten. With the playoffs right around the corner, the Thunder are hoping for a momentum shift that will continue into the playoffs.

Despite Minnesota being eliminated from the playoffs, this will not be a cake walk for the Thunder. As of now, the T-Wolves are staying with their core starters down the stretch.

Winning the bench minutes

The Timberwolves are currently two starters short, with injuries to both Taj Gibsonand Jeff Teague. With the exception of Derrick Rose, the Wolves have had trouble taking advantage of their bench minutes, and injuries have not helped the cause.

With OKC having one of the more talented benches in the league, it’s important to take advantage of the bench minutes and convert on the opportunities. If Dennis Schröder and Nerlens Noel are able to play at the level that Thunder fans know, OKC can almost be guaranteed a win.

Limit Andrew Wiggins

While Andrew Wiggins has had a somewhat mediocre NBA career thus far, he manages to always do well when facing the Thunder. While averaging 17.9 points per-game this season, he is averaging 29.3 in games against OKC. To put this in perspective, Wiggins has had four 30+ games this year, two of those were while facing the Thunder.

With Paul George most likely taking this defensive assignment, it’s important to limit Wiggins with the starters on the floor. Nobody on OKC’s bench seems to have an answer for him this year.

Roll with the momentum

Let’s be honest, nobody really knows what happened to the Thunder after the All-Star break. All we know is that we are once again in the playoffs. Despite losing six of their last ten, OKC may have found their groove, with convincing wins against the Lakers and the Pistons.

Facing a team with recent success against them, a win for OKC could benefit in the long run. With momentum staying on the Thunder’s side, it could not only help them against the Wolves, but it could also translate into early playoff success.

History:

The OKC Thunder have won 29 of their 42 meetings with the Timberwolves but are in jeopardy of being swept in the four game season series this year.

OKC Thunder Starters:

Point Guard: Russell Westbrook

Shooting Guard: Terrance Ferguson

Small Forward: Paul George

Power Forward: Jerami Grant

Center: Steven Adams

OKC Thunder Bench:

Point Guard: Dennis Schröder, Raymond Felton

Shooting Guard: Deonte Burton, Hamidou Diallo

Small Forward: Abdel Nader