Philadelphia 76ers at Oklahoma City Thunder 2/28/19: Starting Lineups, Matchup Preview, Betting Odds
Philadelphia 76ers at Oklahoma City Thunder Preview
The Philadelphia 76ers will have some extra motivation when they play on the road against the Oklahoma City Thunder tonight. Usually, anytime Joel Embiid and Russell Westbrook square off, it gets interesting, but Embiid will be out tonight along with Boban Marjanovic.
That will make the 76ers task of trying to stop a 19-game losing streak against the Thunder a tall order – without their tallest players. While the process has been fun to watch in Philadelphia, part of the process that remains incomplete is beating the Thunder, which they will attempt to do tonight.
Philadelphia is fourth in the Eastern Conference with a 39-22 record, and are a game and a half away from the Indiana Pacers for third place. Philadelphia is 6-4 in their last 10 and they won their last game. Oklahoma City is 38-22, good enough for third in the Western Conference. They are four games behind the second-place Denver Nuggets, are 6-4 in their last 10 games and will be hoping to snap a two-game skid heading into tonight’s game.
In their first matchup this season on January 19, the 76ers came close to snapping the streak, but came up just short as the Thunder walked away with the 117-115 victory in Philadelphia. Paul George and Joel Embiid led their teams with 31 points apiece.
TV Schedule
Date: 02/28/19
Time: 8:00pm ET
Arena: Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, OK
Channel: ABC
Philadelphia 76ers Starting Lineup
Position | Starter |
---|---|
PG | Ben Simmons |
SG | J.J. Redick |
SF | Jimmy Butler |
PF | Tobias Harris |
C | Boban Marjanovic |
76ers Analysis
Embiid will miss his fourth straight game with knee tendinitis and Boban Marjanovic is out with a minor right knee sprain, so the 76ers will turn to Jonah Bolden once again to start at center. The 76ers do have some length in their lineup with Tobias Harris and Ben Simmons, and the Thunder start the 6-9 Jerami Grant at power forward, so they may be ok size-wise, but Philly will miss the production Embiid brings, which Bolden just can’t match.
On Monday night, the 76ers just got past the 27-35 New Orleans Pelicans 111-110. An 18-point 76ers fourth quarter almost led to an upset, but Philadelphia hung on, thanks to a key block by Jimmy Butler on E’Twaun Moore.
Six Philadelphia players scored in double figures, with Harris leading the team with 29 points and 10 rebounds. J.J. Redick had 16 points, Ben Simmons finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds, Mike Scott and Marjanovic added 12 points apiece.
Without Embiid, the 76ers struggled to defend Pelicans big men Anthony Davis and Julius Randle. In just 21 minutes, Davis had 18 points and six rebounds, and Randle had 19 points and 14 rebounds.
76ers Quick Links: 76ers Starting Lineup, 76ers Roster, 76ers Depth Chart, 76ers Injuries, 76ers News, 76ers Schedule
Oklahoma City Thunder Starting Lineup
Position | Starter |
---|---|
PG | Russell Westbrook |
SG | Dennis Schroeder |
SF | Terrance Ferguson |
PF | Jerami Grant |
C | Steven Adams |
Contents
Thunder Analysis
The Oklahoma City Thunder have been struggling lately, losing their last two after they had won 11 of 12 games previously. Really the last four games have all been tough for Oklahoma City. They lost 122-131 to the Pelicans, then needed overtime for a 148-147 win over the Jazz, and followed that with a 116-119 loss to the Kings and on Tuesday night, lost 112-121 to the Denver Nuggets, who sit ahead of them in the Western Conference standings.
Russell Westbrook nearly picked up yet another triple-double with 22 points, 14 rebounds, and nine assists. Paul George added 25 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists. Jerami Grant, who has primarily been known as a defender capable of guarding on the wing and inside, has continued to provide a nice scoring punch for the Thunder. He had 21 points for Oklahoma City on Tuesday.
Being outscored by 10 points in the second quarter was really OKC’s undoing, and they had no answer for center Nikola Jokic, who had 36 points, 10 assists, and nine rebounds.
Thunder Quick Links: Thunder Starting Lineup, Thunder Roster, Thunder Depth Chart, Thunder Injuries, Thunder News, Thunder Schedule
Philadelphia 76ers at Oklahoma City Thunder Betting Odds
Oklahoma City is a 7.5-point favorite to win tonight’s game at home. The Thunder are 21-8 at Chesapeake Energy Arena and 31-17 as the favorite. Philadelphia is 15-14 on the road and 7-10 as the underdog.
The over/under is 240 points and the Thunder are -290 on the moneyline after opening at -350.
Odds & Line Movement Links: Philadelphia 76ers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder, Vegas Odds (All NBA Games Today)
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