Coming off of two impressive performances this week, the Oklahoma City Thunder and the reigning NBA Champion Golden State Warriors clash at Oracle Arena in Oakland, CA. At 45-4, the Warriors have shown no signs of a championship hangover from last season, while at 38-13, the third place Thunder have shown how much of a difference their two leaders being healthy can make. After playing in just 27 games last season, Kevin Durant finally seems to be fully healthy, and is helping to propel the Thunder towards the top of the Western Conference. They meet the force of nature that is the Warriors on Saturday night.
The Power of Performance
Both teams are coming off of huge individual performances by their respective stars. In their matchup with the Orlando Magic on Wednesday, the Thunder received a strong 37 point performance from Durant as well as a titanic 24 point, 19 rebound, 14 assist triple double from his running mate Russell Westbrook.
For the home team, the Warriors enter the matchup with the Thunder after a convincing win in our nation's capital against the Wizards in which reiging MVP Stephen Curry shook off his lowest scoring three game stretch of the season with a 51 point, 7 rebound, masterpiece in which he hit 11 three-pointers.
Curry was also assisted by first-time All-Star Draymond Green who delivered his league leading 10th triple double and the second half of the "Splash Brothers" Klay Thompson, who continued his strong play with a 24 point performance.
Countering the Lineup of Death
A key for the Thunder will be the way that they choose to counter the small ball Warriors lineup of Curry, Thompson, Andre Iguodala, Harrison Barnes, and the aforementioned Draymond Green. This year, there has been no answer for the shooting, skill, speed, defensive versatility and toughness that this lineup brings.
Whether the Thunder choose to put Durant at the Power Forward Position, and interchange Enes Kanter and Serge Ibaka, or choose to use their traditional starting lineup, mental toughness willl be crucial to maintaining their defensive focus against a team as lethal as Golden State.
It is an open question whether the Thunder can neutralize the lineup of death, but it will be important to keep the game close throughout due to the runs that the Warriors are sure to make.
Prediction
The individual matchup between Westbrook and Curry will take up all of the headlines, but the way that the Warriors choose to tackle the question of containing Durant will determine the result of the game tonight. The optimal result might be to put Draymond Green on him to be physical and enable constant defensive switching with the backup of placing Iguodala on Durant
With the Warriors having embarrased multiple top teams this year, look for Westbrook and Durant to come out with a point to prove, and make this game one of the best of the season so far. The Warriors prevail in a close one.