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The San Antonio Spurs will travel to the Chesapeake Energy Arena on Wednesday to face the Oklahoma City Thunder. Placed sixth in the Western Conference with 16 wins and 11 losses so far in the 2020-21 NBA season, the Spurs are in for a tough game ahead.
The San Antonio Spurs will find themselves fairly short-handed against Oklahoma City Thunder, with a handful of key players unavailable for the contest. Spurs' Rudy Gay, Derrick White, Keldon Johnson, Devin Vassell, and Quinndary Weatherspoon are all out due to the COVID-19 protocols.
Adding to the San Antonio Spurs' woes, DeMar DeRozan is also unavailable against the Oklahoma City Thunder due to personal reasons. This only equates to some much-needed breathing space for OKC, who are struggling with 12 wins and 19 losses so far this season.
Match Details
Fixture - San Antonio Spurs vs Oklahoma City Thunder | NBA Season 2020-21
Date & Time - Wednesday, February 24th, 8:00 PM ET (Thursday, February 25th, 6:30 AM IST)
Venue - Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, OK
San Antonio Spurs Preview
San Antonio Spurs coach Greg Popovich will be aiming for the team's fourth-straight win on the road. However, the ordeal will not be as simple with a bunch of key players, including Spurs' star DeMar DeRozan, unavailable for the upcoming game.
The bigger concern for 'Pop' will, therefore, be that the players missing on this trip return in a week's time. Their absence for an extended period will only hurt the team's prospects of reaching the NBA 2020-2021 playoffs.
Acting proactively, the San Antonio Spurs have called Luka Samanic and Tre Jones from the G-League.
Key Player - Lonnie Walker IV
San Antonio Spurs will face the Oklahoma City Thunder for the second time this season. Lonnie Walker IV, who led the team with 24 points in the win against Oklahoma City Thunder will be the team's key man. However, the pressure will be real this time around with no help from DeRozan and company.
Walker is averaging 40.6% from the field and 35% from beyond the arc. It would be intriguing to see if the 22-year-old can keep the numbers up when he attempts more shots against Oklahoma City Thunder at the Chesapeake Energy Arena on Thursday.
San Antonio Spurs Predicted Lineup
G Dejounte Murray, G Patty Mills, F Lonnie Walker, F Trey Lyles, C Jakob Poeltl
Oklahoma City Thunder Preview
The NBA 2020-2021 season has not been ideal for OKC. Although the team enjoyed a three-game win streak back in January, they have struggled to maintain any sort of chemistry on the court ever since.
The Oklahoma City Thunder have a 5-14 record against conference opponents this season, and are averaging 14.6 turnovers per game.
However, they have a couple of factors that could help the team turn this tide. We're talking about their young stars - Luguentz Dort and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
21-year-old Dort came to the limelight after locking down the prolific James Harden in the NBA 2020 Playoffs. On the other hand, the 22-year-old Gilgeous-Alexander has restored hope in OKC fans through his confident offense.
Key Player - Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander joined the Oklahoma City Thunder in a multi-player deal from the LA Clippers in exchange for Paul George. In just a couple of seasons, the point guard has established himself as the leading man for his team with an average of 22.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 6.5 assists a game.
It is worth noting that Luguentz Dort has, at times, outshone Gilgeous-Alexander, or any other current player on the Oklahoma City Thunder roster. He joined LeBron James and Kobe Bryant as the only players 21 years or younger to score 25+ points in Game 7 of a playoff game - in a loss against Houston Rockets in the NBA 2020 playoffs.
However, it is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who has been more consistent for OKC.
Oklahoma City Thunder Predicted Lineup
G Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, G Theo Maledon, F Luguentz Dort, F Darius Bazley, C Isaiah Roby
Spurs vs Thunder Match Prediction
While the San Antonio Spurs will be aiming for a fourth-straight win on the road, the Oklahoma City Thunder's young guns will stand solid in the way. With players unavailable due to injuries, COVID-19 protocol, and personal reasons, the Spurs will be prudent enough to not catch fresh injuries.
Oklahoma City Thunder have a perfect opportunity to bag a win at home and they will come into this match-up looking for nothing less than a victory. Having said that, if Greg Popovich and the Spurs pull-off a victory over the Thunder, he veteran coach will be due some credit.
Where to watch Spurs vs Thunder?
Local telecast of the game between San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder will be available on FOX Sports Southwest and FOX Sports Oklahoma. You can also live stream the same via the the NBA League Pass.
