Tonight two powerhouse teams in the Western Conference square off and it should be a good one.
In the first game of TNT’s double-header, the Los Angeles Clippers and Oklahoma City Thunder both go into tonight’s game winning seven of their last 10 games.
Chris Paul is leading the league in assists at 12.5 per game. He recently surpassed Magic Johnson’s record of 11 consecutive double-doubles to start the 1990-91 season. He also currently leads all point guards in rebounds per game at 5.3. That’s impressive considering he’s only six feet tall.
Blake Griffin too has his own double-double streak going, netting his fifth in a row against the Minnesota Timberwolves. He and DeAndre Jordan average a combined 34.1 rebounds per game and both rank in the top ten in field-goal percentage thus far.
The Thunder has some superstars of their own, too.
Back from injury, Russell Westbrook brings more excitement, leadership and muscle to this young Thunder team. In eight games he’s averaging over 22 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists per game.
Then, of course, there’s Kevin Durant.
Always hovering around the 50-40-90 club, Durant’s averaging 29.6 points per game. He’s a perennial MVP candidate and this season is no different.
But tonight’s interesting matchup is between the point guards.
Paul and Westbrook both have all-around games, but completely different styles.
Paul is a pass-first, playmaking point guard while Westbrook is a scoring, thrashing, big guard. He’s like a freight train when he drives in the lane and is one of the most athletic players in the NBA. He’s a spark plug who brings intensity to the court. Paul also brings intensity but in a different way. He’s a vocal leader who likes to get his teammates going. He’s an extension of his coach on the court and makes sure everyone is doing their job on both ends of the floor.
Don’t be surprised if the Thunder start this game posting Westbrook up down low on Paul. Westbrook has three inches on him and much more strength. He can back down smaller guards deep in the paint to get easy buckets and a rhythm going. If the Clippers start double-teaming early, Westbrook has the court vision to find the open man. Paul isn’t used to banging down low for 48 minutes and Westbrook should take advantage of his bigger size.
Jared Dudley will also have his hands full tonight, having to guard Kevin Durant.
When defending a player like Durant, you know you’re not going to completely stop him so it’s all about slowing him down, constantly pressuring him to try to keep the ball out of his hand and sending help when he’s inside the three point line; that forces his teammates to make the play instead.
Durant and Westbrook don’t have the best supporting cast around them and having those two take the least amount of shots as possible is the best way to beat Oklahoma City. The Clippers have good perimeter defenders in Paul and Dudley, but players like J.J. Redick and Jamal Crawford are going to struggle to stay in front of Durant and Westbrook.
With one of the best crowds behind them, the Oklahoma City Thunder have the advantage of playing at home tonight. These two teams are so evenly matched that it could make the difference.
These teams last played on November 11 and the Clippers won in LA 111-103 after a couple ejections.
Original Post: West Coast Bias Sports
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