Official Thread - Wizards vs Thunder (1/21/15)

[pineappleheadindc]

.

___________VS_________

__29-13 Overall (9-5 vs West), 7-3 Last 10__________20-20 Overall (9-5 vs East), 6-4 Last 10
___2nd Southeast Div / 2nd Eastern Conf_____________2nd Northwest Div / 8th Eastern Conf



After a blowout MLK Day win versus the rebuilding Philadelphia 76er squad, YOUR Washington Wizards get one last home game before embarking on a four game Western road trip. Paying a Wednesday night visit to the Verizon Center are the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder, who started the season slowly due to injury issues, are not just one spot away from the playoffs with about half the season left. Wednesday night's game represents the tail end of a back-to-back for the Thunder who have/had a Tuesday night match-up in Miami.

Mercurial PG Russell Westbrook and homeboy F Kevin Durant pace the Thunder. (You should anticipate lots of Thunder support in the Verizon Center -- which is kinda irritating).

Wizards PG John Wall tends to get up for national games and should be hyped. The match-up with Westbrook will probably be one of the featured storylines of this game. The other will involve talk of Durant's potential future home with the Wizards. Accordingly, there will be bonus points for any board member here who makes a good sign -- shown to a national audience -- imploring KD to come home.

If you're going to the game at the Verizon Center, note the 8:00 start time.

Let's meet the starting lineups.

_____

_______PG John Wall, 6'4" (Kentucky)_________________PG Russell Westbrook, 6'3" (UCLA)

___17.0 ppg (.460 fg% / .310 3pt% / .771 ft%)_______25.1 ppg (.432 fg% / .256 3pt% / .811 ft%)
_____10.0 apg, 4.2 rpg, 2.0 spg, 0.6 bpg_______________7.2 apg, 6.3 rpg, 2.3 spg, 0.1 bpg
______104.9 ORtg, 97.0 DRtg, 53.5 TS%_______________108.4 ORtg, 101.6 DRtg, 52.8 TS%


_____

_______SG Bradley Beal, 6'5" (Florida)_______________SG Andre Roberson, 6'7" (Colorado)

___14.8 ppg (.428 fg% / .462 3pt% / .821 ft%)_______4.0 ppg (.432 fg% / .256 3pt% / .811 ft%)
_____3.4 apg, 3.7 rpg, 1.4 spg, 0.3 bpg_______________1.3 apg, 4.6 rpg, 0.9 spg, 0.6 bpg
______106.3 ORtg, 98.6 DRtg, 53.5 TS%_______________105.1 ORtg, 98.9 DRtg, 47.6 TS%


_____

_______SF Paul Pierce, 6'8" (Kansas)___________________SF Kevin Durant, 6'9" (Texas)

___12.5 ppg (.454 fg% / .390 3pt% / .794 ft%)_______25.4 ppg (.552 fg% / .447 3pt% / .872 ft%)
_____2.0 apg, 4.3 rpg, 0.7 spg, 0.4 bpg_______________3.7 apg, 6.9 rpg, 0.8 spg, 0.9 bpg
______103.0 ORtg, 95.1 DRtg, 58.5 TS%_______________108.1 ORtg, 99.2 DRtg, 65.7 TS%



_____

____PF Nene Hilario, 6'11" (Brazil)___________________PF Serge Ibaka, 6'10" (Congo)

___10.7 ppg (.508 fg% / .250 3pt% / .615 ft%)_______14.6 ppg (.473 fg% / .417 3pt% / .828 ft%)
_____1.9 apg, 5.3 rpg, 1.2 spg, 0.4 bpg_______________1.0 apg, 7.3 rpg, 0.4 spg, 2.3 bpg
______106.2 ORtg, 94.6 DRtg, 53.2 TS%_______________104.0 ORtg, 99.9 DRtg, 55.3 TS%



_____

______C Marcin Gortat, 6'11" (Poland)________________C Steven Adams, 7'0" (Pittsburgh)

___12.3 ppg (.547 fg% / .000 3pt% / .689 ft%)_______7.3 ppg (.527 fg% / .000 3pt% / .536 ft%)
_____1.1 apg, 8.2 rpg, 0.5 spg, 1.3 bpg_______________0.9 apg, 7.1 rpg, 0.5 spg, 1.1 bpg
______104.8 ORtg, 96.5 DRtg, 537.0 TS%_______________103.1 ORtg, 101.2 DRtg, 54.6 TS%

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If you're going to the game in person, please note the 8:00 start time to accommodate an ESPN national viewing audience.


What: Wizards vs Thunder
Where: Verizon Center -- Washington, DC
When: 8:00 p.m. EST
TV: ESPN, ESPNGo app, Comcast SportsNet, NBA League Pass, Quasi-legal internet streams
Radio: WNEW 99.1 FM / WFED 1500 AM

----------------------------------------------------

With a four-game Western road trip in front of them, YOUR Washington Wizards would like nothing better than leave town with a quality win versus a Western Conference opponent.

Drop your thoughts, predictions, and opinions below.

Go Wizards!

[pancakes3]

Ji thread!

[long suffrin' boulez fan]

Ji thread!

My prediction. Durant goes all Pele (Cosmos/Santos farewell game), switches his uniform at halftime and plays second half for the (his) home team.

[queridiculo]

Desperate Thunder team playing to keep up with the Suns.

If the Wizards come out flat they lose this one despite the extra day of rest.

Every loss brings Oklahoma closer to missing the playoffs and increases the likelihood of Durant bolting east bound.

[jeffsays]

We got this. Win this one convincingly please. Keeping OKC out of the playoffs will go a long way toward making KD look at other options (ideally us) in free agency.

[dlts20]

To me it comes down to Wall. 11-15pt Wall probably means an L. 18+ Wall probably means a W. I hope he realizes now he has to be more aggressive for us to beat the elite teams. The All Star votes are in but it still would be a great way to send a message to the National audience that he deserves to be an All Star starter. The OKC-Heat game was tough tonight until Miami caved late but KD had to play 40. This could go either way but I think we will be up and should win at home but Wall has to set the tone and be aggressive. Hopefully the refs let both him & Russ play and dont make the game about them like they did in OKC

[pineappleheadindc]

I'd like to see the Wiz try to make Westbrook a volume two point jump shooter. Have Wall go under screens, team clog the lane. When Westbrook rises up for his two point J, someone just try and put a hand in his face. And send 5 guys to the defensive board.

Would love to see Westbrook eat up possessions from KD. And when Westbrook goes to the bench for a blow, let's double KD if necessary -- but essentially make someone else try to beat us.

[hands11]

I'd like to see the Wiz try to make Westbrook a volume two point jump shooter. Have Wall go under screens, team clog the lane. When Westbrook rises up for his two point J, someone just try and put a hand in his face. And send 5 guys to the defensive board.

Would love to see Westbrook eat up possessions from KD. And when Westbrook goes to the bench for a blow, let's double KD if necessary -- but essentially make someone else try to beat us.

Sounds like a plan. Did we do what last game ?

[closg00]

OKC on a B2B and Durant has a bruised elbow, hopefully it's on his shooting arm.

[Zonkerbl]

OMG Adams lose the pornstache please

[hands11]

Sticking with my preseason prediction. I had us losing that first OKC game and winning this one.

Big statement game.

They are playing with house money for a 52 win record but if they want to be a 54-55 win team, they need to keep this train rolling. A win tonight is part of that.

[Ruzious]

OKC on a B2B and Durant has a bruised elbow, hopefully it's on his shooting arm.

He took a hard fall on it, stayed in the game but didn't score after the fall.

The stat Pine posted that surprised me the most - Ibaka with a 41.7 3 point shooting percentage. Can we get him and Durant?

OKC is a very motivated team. And they're kinda talented. The game might not go as well as we'd like.

[JWizmentality]

I hope fans at the game make this the most shameless display of Durant slurping imaginable. Throw pride to the wind for one night, get the "Come Back Home" chant going when he's on the FT line, show fans wearing Durant jerseys on the jumbotron. WE'RE ALL IN!!!

[Nivek]

I have Wiz with a 58% chance of winning tonight against OKC. B-R has Wiz as 59% favorites.

Change of subject: How bad are the Knicks? B-R has them as slight underdogs to Philly tonight.

[FAH1223]

[FAH1223]

[MikeTheKid]

Wall vs Westbrook..................Can't Wait!!!

[dlts20]

Beal usually goes off against okc

[nate33]

[pineappleheadindc]

^
Adams....LOL.