Golden State Warriors at Oklahoma City Thunder 10/27/19: Starting Lineups, Matchup Preview, Daily Fantasy
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Golden State Warriors at Oklahoma City Thunder Preview
A few years ago, the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Golden State Warriors were considered the cream of the crop in the NBA. The Thunder have tumbled as they lost Kevin Durant and now Russell Westbrook. The Warriors find themselves in a similar situation as they have also lost Durant and several key players in their title runs.
Both teams have yet to find the win column to start their 2019-20 campaigns, and Oklahoma City will be looking for a win on their home court today as they play host to the visiting Warriors
TV Schedule
Date: 10/27/19
Time: 10 PM ET
Arena: Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, OK
Channel: NBCSBA, FSOK
Injuries
Warriors: Willie Cauley-Stein, Klay Thompson, Kevon Looney (O), Alec Burks (Q)
Thunder: Andre Roberson (O), Hamidou Diallo (DTD)
Golden State Warriors Starting Lineup
PG: Stephen Curry
SG: D’Angelo Russell
SF: Glenn Robinson III
PF: Draymond Green
C: Marquese Chriss
Warriors Analysis
The Warriors were not happy with their defensive efforts as they ran into the buzzsaw that is the Los Angeles Clippers in their season opener. The Clippers blew out the Warriors 141-122, and it was definitely not the start the former NBA champions were looking for.
“Our defense was atrocious,” Draymond Green said after the game. “Off the ball, on the ball, pick-and-roll, transition defense.”
A 46-point third quarter by the Clippers really did the Warriors in. They tried to keep pace offensively, with five scorers in double figures, but the stops on the other end were definitely needed.
Stephen Curry finished with 23 points, and with the Warriors looking for some scoring from the off guard position without Klay Thompson, D’Angelo Russell has stepped in nicely. He finished with 20 points and eight assists.
The Warriors are not nearly as deep as they have been in recent years, but they were able to get some nice contributions from Eric Paschall, Jacob Evans, Omari Spellman, and Marquese Chriss, who is expected to get the start today.
Warriors Quick Links: Warriors Starting Lineup, Warriors Roster, Warriors Depth Chart, Warriors Injuries, Warriors News, Warriors Schedule
Oklahoma City Thunder Starting Lineup
PG: Chris Paul
SG: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
SF: Terrance Ferguson
PF: Danilo Gallinari
C: Steven Adams
Thunder Analysis
The new-look Thunder are 0-2 heading into their third game tonight. They sport a new starting backcourt of Chris Paul and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, whom they acquired in trades with Houston and Clippers with the departures of Russell Westbrook and Paul George.
While there’s no replacing Paul George, Gilgeous-Alexander is looking like quite the get for OKC. He’s averaging 27 points and 4,5 rebounds early this season.
Things have not been as smooth for Chris Paul, though, who struggled against the Washington Wizards, managing just six points and four assists in 30 minutes in the 97-85 loss. Paul put the loss on his shoulders after the game.
“Stop turning the ball over and missing free throws,” Paul said. “If I were to have contributed at all, we would’ve won that game. It’s that simple. You can’t sugarcoat it, nobody can say, ‘it’s a team sport.’ It’s that simple.”
The Thunder could also really use some help from Terrance Ferguson, who is starting in place of the injured Andre Roberson.
Thunder Quick Links: Thunder Starting Lineup, Thunder Roster, Thunder Depth Chart, Thunder Injuries, Thunder News, Thunder Schedule
Key Player Matchups
Chris Paul vs. Stephen Curry
It’s old school vs, new school as Chris Paul and Stephen Curry face off today. Paul will need to bounce back to help his Thunder get a win, and his defense will be important in defending Curry, who is capable of easily putting up 30 points as he runs off screens and gets open to knock down three-pointers.
Shai Gilgeous Alexander vs. D’Angelo Russell
Most people would consider these players on different levels, with Russell just leading his team to a playoff run in Brooklyn, but Gilgeous-Alexander may be giving people something to think about this season. This should be an interesting matchup between the smooth-scoring Gilgeous-Alexander against Russell, who is especially a threat in the pick-and-roll game.
Daily Fantasy
Stephen Curry and Chris Paul are my top picks in today’s game. Curry is valued at $9.5k on FanDuel, and with his production including points, assists, three-pointers and shooting percentages, he is projected for 43.9 points. Paul is available for $7.7k and is projected to finish with 36.1 points.
Secondary players to look for in today’s matchup are Gilgeous-Alexander ($7.3k), projected for 29.5 points, and Russell ($7.9k) projected for 37.2 points.
Bet on Matchup
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