The San Antonio Spurs (28-13) will face the Oklahoma City Thunder (33-10) tonight in Oklahoma as the two top teams in the Western Conference face off.
Currently, the two divisional leaders are separated by four game which makes this a crucial game for the Spurs if they want to head into the playoffs with the best record in the West. Not only that, the Spurs will look to continue their road dominance and hold their own versus the Thunder.
In their last meeting, Tony Parker scored a team-high 42 points in a 107-96 win over the Thunder last month. However, this season the two teams have split their two previous meetings with each team winning on their home court.
As you tune into tonight’s contest, here are five things to watch for in tonight’s Spurs-Thunder game.
- The Spurs can contain Kevin Durant, somewhat. San Antonio has held Durant to 22.4 points in their last five meetings.
- When the Thunder is hot from the field, they are winning. OKC is 11-0 when shooting 50% or better.
- Let’s hope the Spurs outrebound the Thunder. OKC is 0-1 when they have 10 or more less rebounds than their opponent.
- Take care of the ball Spurs! The Thunder are 9-0 when they have 10 or more steals in a game.
- It’s best the Spurs score over 90 points tonight. Oklahoma is 11-0 when their opponent scores less than 90 points.
Matchup to watch: Tony Parker vs. Russell Westbrook. Here is how the two point guards fared (via nba.com) this season against each other.