NBA Golden State WarriorsOklahoma City Thunder

Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Golden State Warriors: Game Preview, Prediction

Fresh Videos

By @DSchultz89

Thunder Warriors

Getty Images

Oklahoma City Thunder (17-17) vs. Golden State Warriors (26-5)

Game Time, TV: Monday, Jan. 5 – 10:30 ET on NBA TV

Oklahoma City Thunder: PG: Russell Westbrook, SG: Andre Roberson, SF: Kevin Durant, PF: Serge Ibaka, C: Steven Adams

Golden State Warriors: PG: Stephen Curry, SG: Klay Thompson, SF: Harrison Barnes, PF: Draymond Green, C: Marreese Speights

Two of the hottest teams in the NBA will meet for the third time tomorrow night when the Oklahoma City Thunder visit the Golden State Warriors in a clash of two of the best teams in the NBA.

While it may be easy to just look at the records of these teams and say that the Thunder do not deserve that high of praise, they have gone 13-4 in their last 17 games, and it is all because of the return of Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant. Let’s face it, without these two players, the Thunder are a pretty miserable team. But as long as they have these two megawatt talents on their roster, the Thunder will remain a force to be reckoned out West.

The Warriors are certainly missing Andrew Bogut in the middle as he continues to miss time due to a knee injury. In the meantime, head coach Steve Kerr continues to experiment with small ball lineups, most recently inserting mid-range jumper shooter specialist Marreese Speights into the starting lineup to open up the floor more for his shooters. While the Warriors will certainly get pounded on the glass from time to time, they are counting on their offense to be outstanding every night.

The key matchup for this game will be Westbrook vs. Stephen Curry. While Westbrook will most likely be tasked with staying in front of Curry, I would be surprised if Curry will be given the responsibility to guard Westbrook on the defensive end. Westbrook is having an MVP-caliber season, and if he can provide stellar defense and throw Curry outside his comfort zone, I see the Thunder taking this one.

The Warriors have the better record, and they are at home, but I see the Thunder being able to beat the Warriors up on the glass thanks to the length of Serge Ibaka and Steven Adams. It is always exciting when these two teams face off against one another, and this game will certainly not disappoint.

Prediction: Thunder 112, Warriors 106

Dan Schultz is an NBA sports writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on twitter @dschultz89. “Like” him on Facebook and add him on Google.

Share Tweet
Trending Now on