On paper, the logic was respected for the wolves, dominated by the Lakers in the game for 7th place. On the other hand, the Thunder allowed himself to be surprised (once again) because, like the Bulls in the East, he won his first play-in game, away, to offer himself a second and try to steal 8th place from the West, far from home.
For Minnesota, a failure would cause a stir, with no less than four All-Stars (Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards, Rudy Gobert, Mike Conley) in his five major and a future partly sacrificed to reach the playoffs at least and settle like a cador of his conference. Except that the mayonnaise could not take, for lack of experience and complementarity, which leaves Minny with one last chance to save his season.
For Oklahoma City, the situation is different, since the players have nothing to lose. Initially called upon to take part in the “tanking” race, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s teammates quickly demonstrated that they were no longer there to play the role, but to win right now. The mission promises to be tough, but not impossible, because no one seems to be driven by any form of pressure.
In case of victory, it will in any case be prepared to move on very quickly, from Sunday evening, and this against the best team in the West: Denver.
PRESENTATION OF THE WOLVES
Holders: M. Conley, A. Edwards, K. Anderson, K. Towns, R. Gobert
The substitutes: J. McLaughlin, A. Rivers, N. Alexander-Walker, J. Nowell, W. Moore Jr, T. Prince, J. Minott, N. Knight
The absents :Jade. McDaniels, N. Reid
The coach: C.Finch
Still without Jaden McDaniels, injured, but perhaps Rudy Gobert, back from suspension, the Wolves find presence at the level of their “frontcourt” and it will not be too much to support where the main weakness of the Thunder is located. . However, they must hope that Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards manage to coordinate to excel at the same time, which is not so common after all. However, if the “role players” of Chris Finch are not there, it is up to the two offensive leaders to pull Minnesota up together. By involving, if possible, the Conley/Gobert duo…
The strong point
– 3-point efficiency. We saw it during three quarters against the Lakers: Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards, Mike Conley, Kyle Anderson, Taurean Prince or even Nickeil Alexander-Walker are all capable of drawing effectively from afar (minimum 36% success rate behind the arc each, at least 2 attempts per match). It is therefore hardly surprising to see Wolves in the Top 2 of the most skilful teams at 3-pointers since the All-Star Break (39%). But with Rudy Gobert, Minnesota’s game will however have to lean inward to blow up OKC, a follower of the “small ball”.
The weak point
– Too frequent releases. This was once again confirmed in Los Angeles: the Wolves have real difficulty in maintaining an advantage, because they conceded their… 19th defeat of the season after leading by 10 points or more during this same game. Capable of the best and the worst, and not particularly comfortable in the costume of the favorites, the men of Chris Finch are therefore accustomed to roller coasters and mental cracking. Be careful not to lose everything against a Thunder team which is never more dangerous than when it stands as an outsider, without pressure on the shoulders…
THUNDER PRESENTATION
Holders: S. Gilgeous-Alexander, L. Dort, Jal. Williams, J. Giddey, Jay. williams
The substitutes: Tr. Mann, I. Joe, A. Wiggins, L. Waters III, O. Dieng, A. Pokusevski, J. Robinson-Earl, D. Saric
The absents : C. Holmgren, K. Williams
The coach: Mr. Daigneault
The youngest team in history, with an average age of only 22, the Thunder have been surprising everyone for months with Mark Daigneault at the helm, when we could expect a season in the depths of the Western conference. Under the impetus of a brilliant Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, surrounded by brave soldiers like the creative Josh Giddey, the (very mature) rookie Jalen Williams or the pitbull Luguentz Dort, the Canadian All-Star makes rain or shine of OKC since the start of the campaign. Filling the weaknesses of the team as much as possible (fragile interior sector, exterior shoot, contribution from the irregular bench, etc.).
The strong point
– Flawless cohesion. We sometimes tend to believe that this Thunder team looks like a happy NCAA band, as the good mood seems to prevail over the rest in this group where veterans are rare. In the wake of their leader, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the OKC players are all moving together in the same direction and, without the slightest pressure on their shoulders, they give the impression of being able to topple mountains. Now, Mark Daigneault’s men have nothing to lose and what has to happen to them can only be seen as a bonus. So, inevitably, it frees up mentally…
The weak point
– A weak interior sector. While waiting for the debut of Chet Holmgren, the Thunder are forced to juggle as much as they can in the racket and, this season, it is Jaylin Williams, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Mike Muscala, Aleksej Pokusevski and Dario Saric who have taken turns at the post 5. Only training strong wingers. Faced with Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert, the excessive “small ball” practiced by Mark Daigneault could therefore reach its limits, provided that the Wolves do not imitate the Pelicans by forgetting their pivots, because the rookie Williams and Saric or Robinson-Earl are quickly in danger of being overdue.
THE KEY TO THE MATCH
– The Battle of Rhythm. With Rudy Gobert back alongside Karl-Anthony Towns, and even without Naz Reid, we can expect Wolves to pound the paint to take a serious ascendancy in this game. In view of the light and/or small interiors that will be facing them, Chris Finch’s men have every interest in clubbing near the circle, to make mistakes and cut the rhythm of this OKC team which loves so much run. If Minnesota limits stray balls and breaks the tempo, the Thunder will likely struggle to keep up with their 3-point limits.
REGULAR SEASON
Minnesota 3-1
October 19: Minnesota –Oklahoma City (115-108)
October 23: Oklahoma City – Minnesota (106-116)
December 3: Minnesota – Oklahoma City (128-135)
December 16: Oklahoma City – Minnesota (110-112)
VERDICT
Minnesotawith wear and experience, thanks to a real internal domination, to join Denver in the first round and try to afford the scalp of the band of Nikola Jokic.
HOURLY
At 3:30 a.m., Friday night to Saturday.
