Wolves-Oklahoma City game preview
January 10, 2018 at 5:17AM
Thunder seeks a season split
Preview: The fifth-place Thunder trailed the fourth-place Wolves by 3½ games in the West after a 117-106 loss vs. Portland on Tuesday. The Thunder's 114-100 loss at Phoenix on Sunday ended a two-game winning streak and a stretch in which it had won eight of 10 games thanks to a six-game winning streak. … Wednesday's game ends the four-game season series between the teams. The Wolves won the first two — at OKC on Oct. 22 on Andrew Wiggins' desperation three-point heave at the buzzer and then five days later at Target Center — and the Thunder won at home on Dec. 1. The three games have been decided by a total of nine points.
Players to watch: Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook set an NBA record last season with 42 triple-doubles, surpassing Oscar Robertson's mark of 41 in 1961-62. On Dec. 27, he passed Kevin Durant's 15,942 points to become the leading scorer in team history. He leads the NBA in assists with a 10.1 average, an assist more per game that No. 2 James Harden. No player has ever led the league in scoring one season and assists the next. Westbrook's 26-point, 11-assist, 10-rebound game Sunday at Phoenix was his 14 triple-double this season and the 93rd of his career.
Injuries: Wolves G Jeff Teague (sprained knee MCL) is questionable and Thunder F Andre Roberson was listed as out vs. Portland on Tuesday (patellar tendinitis).
JERRY ZGODA
about the writer
Despite so-so record, Wolves have improved at crunch time.
