Brooklyn Nets vs Oklahoma City Thunder: Predictions, Odds and Roster Notes

What: Brooklyn Nets at Oklahoma City Thunder

Where: Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, OK

When: Wednesday, March 13th at 7:00 PM EST

How (TV/Radio): ESPN, YES, Fox Sports Oklahoma | WFAN, WWLS 98.1FM OKC / 930AM (ESP)

Brooklyn Nets (Away)

Head Coach: Kenny Atkinson {All-Time 84-149 | BKN}

The Brooklyn Nets have created a solid lead for themselves in the grand scheme of the Eastern Conference playoff race. With only thirteen games left in the regular season, the Brooklyn Nets are 4.5 games ahead of the ninth-place team in the East. With a record of 36-33, Brooklyn is confidently sixth in the East.

The Nets are coming off of an impressive blowout victory over the Detroit Pistons. It was a key game, as the Nets now own a 0.5 game lead over Detroit. As the season end draws nearer, the Nets have done well to keep their focus. With a record of 6-4 in their last ten games, Brooklyn is clearly readying themselves for the postseason.

On a four-game win streak, the Brooklyn Nets are now headed on a dangerous seven-game Western Conference road trip. They’ll begin against the Oklahoma City Thunder who boast one of the NBA’s best defenses and duos in Russell Westbrook and Paul George. The Nets bullied the Pistons into submission with a dynamic team effort, but the step up in competition to the Thunder is massive.

Oklahoma City Thunder (Home)

Head Coach: Billy Donovan {All-Time 191-122 | OKC}

Once with a strong grasp over the third spot in the Western Conference, the Oklahoma City Thunder are now fourth and a whole game behind the Houston Rockets who took their previous ranking. With a record of 41-26, the Thunder are also a mere half-game ahead of the Portland Trail Blazers, who will be looking to overtake them for homecourt advantage in their coming playoff series.

The Oklahoma City Thunder have struggled as of late. They are 4-6 in their last ten games, in no small part due to due to an avalanche of tough competition in the form of losses to the Kings, Nuggets, Spurs, Sixers, and Clippers. Their schedule will not get any easier, as the only sub-.500 team that they will face in the next six matches is the Miami Heat.

When the Thunder take on the Nets they will have to keep up with Brooklyn’s blistering offensive pace. Brooklyn are fifth in the NBA in field-goal attempts and third in the NBA in three-point attempts. They are also not opposed to sharing the ball, as in their last victory against the Pistons seven players scored eleven points or more. Every Thunder player will need to be committed to their defensive rotation.

What’s At Stake?

Considering the relative youth of each respective club, the Brooklyn Nets and the Oklahoma City Thunder have met only thirteen times. In the all-time series, the Thunder hold a slim lead over the Nets 7-6.

A win for the Brooklyn Nets would give them a full game lead over the Detroit Pistons who trail them in seventh place.

A win for the Oklahoma City Thunder would bring them within a half-game of the Houston Rockets and give them a single game lead over the Portland Trail Blazers.

Questions to answer

How did the Nets dominate the Pistons?

Can the Thunder still grind on the court?

We are going to compare the Brooklyn Nets and the Oklahoma City Thunder in an attempt to see who has the advantage in this matchup.

The Nets Blew Out The Pistons, 103-75

It has been a shocking playoff race in the Eastern Conference for the first time in years and the Brooklyn Nets are near the top of that. While they aren’t immediately threatened by oncoming Eastern Conference opponents, they have been able to take care of opponents in a timely fashion. Cue the Detroit Pistons.

Head Coach of the Detroit Pistons Dwane Casey is known as a hard-nosed, defensive coach with no tolerance for errors behind the ball. The Nets were able to counteract that philosophy, simply by being themselves. They swung the ball with a mission, forcing the Detroit bigs out of position and clearing themselves for open looks.

But it wasn’t all on offense for the Nets. Jarrett Allen did a masterful job controlling the paint, despite facing two All-Star level bigs in Drummond and Griffin. Slowly but surely, the Nets are baring their fangs and the tools and style that they possess are unique amongst the league.

The Thunder Defeated The Utah Jazz

The Oklahoma City Thunder took home a grind-it-out, defensive game against the Utah Jazz in their last match. While Ricky Rubio and Raul Neto were out of the match, it showed that the Thunder can win the “ugly” games moving forward into the postseason.

What was impressive for the Thunder was their defensive game plan. The made it a point to deny Rudy Gobert in the paint and constantly got the ball out of Donovan Mitchell’s hands. The Thunder’s ability to control the boards and the paint reveals another facet to their already spectacular defense.

The Brooklyn Nets though, are not a team that heavily attack the paint. Kenny Atkinson has made it a point for his roster to drive-and-kick in order to swing the ball around the perimeter for open looks. The Thunder bigs will be challenged to keep up with the swing if they want to stay in the game against the Nets.

Brooklyn Nets Roster Notes

F Demarre Carroll – 11 Mar 2019 – Day To Day (Knee) – Carroll left Monday’s (Mar 11) game and will not return.

G Treveon Graham – 10 Mar 2019 – Day To Day (Back Soreness) – Graham has been ruled OUT for Monday’s (Mar 11) game.

Oklahoma City Thunder Roster Notes

F Markieff Morris – 11 Mar 2019 – Day To Day (Neck) – Morris left Monday’s (Mar 11) game and is doubtful to return.

G-F Andre Roberson – 14 Feb 2019 – Out (Knee) – Roberson has yet to do any on-court work, however, head coach Billy Donovan hasn’t given up hope that he could make a return this season.

Head-to-Head: D’Angelo Russell (BKN) vs Russell Westbrook (OKC)

It will be a matchup of point guards when the Brooklyn Nets and Oklahoma City Thunder face off. D’Angelo Russell has led his team to the playoffs for the first time in his tenure while Russell Westbrook is making another push for the NBA Finals. These two leaders are sure to be essential in their teams’ success.

D’Angelo Russell

Point Guard | 6-5, 198lb (196cm, 89kg) | Ohio State | Exp. 3 Years

20.3 PPG | 6.8 APG | 3.6 RPG | 1.1 SPG | 0.3 BPG | 3.0 TOV | .432 FG% | .363 3P%

First-time All-Star D’Angelo Russell is having the season of his career. In just his fourth year, Russell has significantly increased his counted statistics over his past three. He is also ideal for Kenny Atkinson’s offense, with the size and savvy to make the optimal pass while also being a threat from the perimeter. Russell is tough to stop one-on-one due to his size and handle. If the Thunder can’t slow him, it will be another high-scoring night for the Nets.

Russell Westbrook

Point Guard | 6-3, 200lb (190cm, 90kg) | UCLA | Exp. 10 Years

23.1 PPG | 10.5 APG | 11.1 RPG | 2.0 SPG | 0.5 BPG | 4.6 TOV | .428 FG% | .284 3P%

Russell Westbrook’s scoring is lower than it has been in the last five seasons. But he is contributing a career high in both assists and rebounds to compensate. Going on his third straight season to average a triple-double, Westbrook is unstoppable when he is focused in on the task at hand. The Nets will look to force him into difficult perimeter shots, where he is averaging only 28%.

Brooklyn Nets at Oklahoma City Thunder Predictions and Odds

The odds makers have the Oklahoma City Thunder favored over the Brooklyn Nets by 7.5, with an over/under of 109.