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The Brooklyn Nets will host the OKC Thunder at Barclays Center on Thursday.
Coming off their 118-122 loss to the Washington Wizards, the OKC Thunder find themselves in a bad position as they extended their losing streak to five games. With a poor start to 2022, the Thunder see themselves at 13-27 on the season.
The Brooklyn Nets will head home following a 138-112 blowout win against the Chicago Bulls. With a rather inconsistent couple of games behind them, considering the talent at their disposal, the Nets will look to return to the top spot in the East as they find themselves at 26-14 on the season.
In the final fixture of the season series between the two teams, the OKC Thunder will look to even out the series following their blowout loss in the first game. Given the current state of the side, however, this may be a tall task.
Match Details
Fixture - OKC Thunder vs Brooklyn Nets | 2021-22 NBA Season
Date & Time - Thursday, January 13th, 2022; 8:30 PM ET (Friday, Janaury 14th, 2022; 7:00 AM IST)
Venue - Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY
OKC Thunder Preview
Coming off another loss, the OKC Thunder continue to struggle to hit strides as a team this season. With a 13-27 record this season, a five-game losing streak for the Thunder sees them in the bottom tier of teams in the Western Conference.
The loss against the Washington Wizards still showed from promise for a developing unit. Hanging close to the Wizards for the majority of the game, the OKC Thunder put up a good fight as they won the first half.
Although the Thunder got swept by Kyle Kuzma and Washington in the second half, there were some noteworthy performances for the game. The Thunder's young star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a game-high 32 points.
Paired with Josh Giddey's 18 points, six rebounds and eight assists, OKC displays a promising young core for the future.
Key Player - Darius Bazley
A key player for the OKC Thunder in this game against the Brooklyn Nets will be Darius Bazley.
Often finding himself in the starting power forward position, Bazley was seen coming off the bench to replace Jeremiah Robinson-Earl in the game against the Washington Wizards. Bazley still played 30 minutes of the game, recording 14 points and nine rebounds in the process.
The 21-year old big man may have a more significant role in the game against Brooklyn. Considering the shortage of significant bigs in Brooklyn's lineup, the frontcourt pairing of Bazley and Favors will have a huge role in dominating the paint for the side.
Bazley has shown potential as a scorer and a stretch four. While also being an impressive athlete, Bazley will have to support his teammates on the scoring front if OKC is to have a shot at winning this game.
OKC Thunder Predicted Lineup
G - Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | G - Josh Giddey | F - Luguentz Dort | F - Aaron Wiggins | C - Jeremiah Robinson-Earl
Brooklyn Nets Preview
The Brooklyn Nets will head into Thursday's matchup on the back of an emphatic win against the Chicago Bulls. Handing the Bulls a defeat on their home turf, the Nets looked like the dominant side they were posed to be in the game.
Featuring a stellar scoring performance by Kevin Durant, who recorded 27 points and nine assists for the game, Brooklyn also enjoyed the contributions of James Harden, who recorded 25 points and a whopping 16 assists for the game.
Although Kyrie Irving being available for away games has seen mixed results, the overall value Irving presents by being on the roster definitely influences their chances as a team.
Returning home for their next game, the Nets will miss Irving at home. However, a greater concern is within their big man rotation. With Nicolas Claxton and LaMarcus Aldridge potentially missing another game, Brooklyn will have to rely on Day'Ron Sharpe to continue to be a consistent performer in the center spot.
Key Player - James Harden
The Brooklyn Nets will look to James Harden to be a key player in their matchup at home.
Harden is coming off a tremendous outing against the Chicago Bulls. Running Brooklyn's offense to perfection, Harden recorded 25 points and 16 assists for the game. He also had seven rebounds while shooting a stellar 5-8 from beyond the arc.
Harden being in good condition is essential to Brooklyn's success. Considering Irving's absence from their home games, the Nets guard will have to play a bigger role in facilitating the offense while also increasing his own scoring load in the process.
Brooklyn Nets Predicted Lineup
G - James Harden | G - Patty Mills | F - Kessler Edwards | F - Kevin Durant | C - Day'Ron Sharpe
Thunder vs Nets Match Predictions
The Brooklyn Nets should emerge as the winners in this matchup against the OKC Thunder.
Although the Nets will face roster shortages as well as fatigue, the overall make-up gives them a significant talent boost over the inexperienced OKC Thunder roster.
OKC, however, have been a team full of surprises. Should Shai and Giddey find their rhythm early on, the Nets may be in for a shocker of a game.
Where to watch Thunder vs Nets game?
The OKC Thunder vs Brooklyn Nets game will be locally broadcast on Yes. The game will also be available on the NBA’s League Pass platform. Fans can also listen to the game by tuning into 101.9 FM/660 AM.
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