Thunder Gameday: Oklahoma City Takes On Scottie Barnes and the Raptors
After losing eight consecutive games, the Oklahoma City Thunder pulled out a win on Monday night against the Detroit Pistons. Now, they’ll look to keep that momentum heading into today’s contest against the Toronto Raptors.
Although the Raptors have a losing record, they’ve won two-straight games of their own and will be well rested, as they haven’t played since Sunday.
With two Canadians in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Lu Dort heading back to their home country, they’ll look to have another big night on the road.
ODDS:
The Thunder enter the day as 7-point underdogs to the Raptors, and the total over/under is 208 points.
KEYS TO THE GAME:
This will be a matchup between two of the NBA’s top rookies in Josh Giddey and Scottie Barnes. Both were selected in the top six of the 2021 NBA Draft and have instantly become cornerstone pieces for their respective franchises.
Gilgeous-Alexander and Dort are without question OKC’s best scorers. In their win against the Pistons earlier this week, they combined for 58 points. When they aren’t producing offensively, the Thunder struggle tremendously.
Toronto certainly is more experienced than Oklahoma City, but have been inconsistent early in the season. With a 4-8 record at home, the Raptors haven’t been able to capitalize in front of their home crowd to this point in the season.
RECORDS:
Oklahoma City Thunder (7-16) vs. Toronto Raptors (11-13)
WHEN:
Wednesday, December 8, 2021 at 6:30 PM CT
LOCATION:
Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Ontario
TV/RADIO:
Bally Sports Oklahoma, NBA League Pass, 98.1 FM The Sports Animal
FINAL WORD:
“Obviously we’re coming off a losing streak. I thought we did a great job of not panicking and staying the course," said Thunder coach Mark Daigneault following Monday's win.
Despite being a young team, Oklahoma City has proven to come into each game with a level-headed mindset.
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