Watch Oklahoma City Thunder @ San Antonio Spurs, live on Sky Sports USA in the early hours of Friday morning (2:30am)
Friday 11 January 2019 05:37, UK
Oklahoma City Thunder, led by Russell Westbrook and Paul George, visit the San Antonio Spurs in a battle of Western Conference heavyweights, live on Sky Sports USA.
The Thunder (25-15) have been one of the Western Conference's strongest teams for much of the season, but they come into this contest in the midst of a rare two-game losing streak.
OKC's most recent stumble came in a tightly-contested battle with the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night, by a score of 119-117.
George led the way with 27 points, adding nine rebounds and one assist. Westbrook generated a 25-point, 16-assist double-double that also included five rebounds, two blocks and one steal. Steven Adams totalled 20 points, 12 rebounds, two steals and one assist.
The Thunder will continue to be without Alex Abrines (personal) and Andre Roberson (kneecap). Nerlens Noel will also sit with the concussion he suffered on Tuesday after taking an elbow to the head and falling to the court.
The Spurs (24-18) saw a five-game winning streak snapped in their most recent contest, as the Memphis Grizzlies toppled them by a 96-86 margin on Wednesday night.
Bryn Forbes and Marco Belinelli co-led San Antonio with matching 14-point tallies while bringing down four and three rebounds respectively. LaMarcus Aldridge and Patty Mills had 13 points each, with Aldridge also hauling in seven boards.
DeMar DeRozan had just nine points on 4-for-15 shooting, adding five rebounds and four assists.
The Spurs will continue to be without Rudy Gay (wrist).
Two elite scoring guards face off in this game. DeRozan, traded from Toronto before the start of the season, is the Spurs' leading scorer at 22.6 points per game. Viewed as 'just a scorer' for parts of his career, DeRozan has showcased his ability to facilitate this season, averaging 6.4 assists per game. His all-round game was on full view as he recorded a triple-double in a win over his former team on January 3.
George is averaging a career-best 26.8 points per game and has carried the Thunder offense as Westbrook has struggled with his shooting in the first half of the season.
'PG13' is making 44.8 per cent of his field goals and connecting on 38.4 per cent of his three-point attempts. He is doing the business on the defensive end too, leading the league in steals (85) and starring for the league's meanest defense (the Thunder concede 103.3 points per 100 possessions).
700 - That is the total number of two-point field goals attempted by Spurs guard DeRozan this season, a mark that leads the league. His team-mate LaMarcus Aldridge ranks second with 629 two-point attempts.
While the majority of NBA offenses are now based around the three-point shot, coach Gregg Popovich has characteristically gone against the grain, embracing the mid-range games of his two stars and it has yielded results over the last six weeks with the Spurs winning 16 of their last 20 games.
The rugged 7ft Kiwi center is averaging a double-double this season (15.4 points and 10.2 rebounds per game) and his hard-nosed play guarantees a tough night for opposing big men.
Adams was recently described by Washington Wizards (and former Thunder) coach Scott Brooks as "the strongest, most physical guy in the league". Aldridge, Jakob Poetl and Pau Gasol must be prepared for the challenge of facing the New Zealander.
Third-year pro Forbes has been pressed into service because of injuries and taken his opportunity. The undrafted guard has stepped up after the Spurs lost starting guard Dejounte Murray to an ACL injury and has impressed coach Gregg Popovich who recently said he believes Forbes "has carved out an NBA career" with his performances.
Forbes has become the third undrafted rookie in Spurs history to start the first 41 games of a season. The others are Avery Johnson and Bruce Bowen. He is averaging 12.4 points on 46.2 per cent shooting. He scored 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting in San Antonio's January 3 win over the Toronto Raptors.
