Fresh off an impressive win over the team with the best record in the NBA, the Oklahoma City Thunder bring a five-game winning streak into Atlanta on Wednesday when they begin a four-game road trip against the Hawks.
The Thunder beat Eastern Conference-leading Boston 127-123 on Tuesday, giving Oklahoma City its eighth win in its last nine games.
Atlanta ended a four-game losing streak on Sunday with a 130-126 win over Washington.
This will be the second meeting between the two teams this season. The Thunder won 126-117 on Nov. 6 in Oklahoma City. The teams split their two games last season.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been on a hot streak for the Thunder and is averaging 31.4 points after his 36-point effort against the Celtics. His final two points, a pair of free throws, iced the win with 2.1 seconds remaining. He has topped the 30-point mark in seven of his last eight games. He had 30 points, eight rebounds and six assists against the Hawks in the first meeting.
Josh Giddey scored a season-high 23 points against the Celtics and has surpassed 20 points in back-to-back games.
“He’s doing exactly what I expected,” Gilgeous-Alexander said of Giddey. “I said this before, every young player gets thrown different looks and has to adjust, especially early in their careers. I’ve had to go through it. … Josh did exactly what he was supposed to do. Learn from it, get better and attack it.”
In its last win, Atlanta got the sort of balance it has been missing much of the season. Four Hawks — Trae Young, Jalen Johnson, Saddiq Bey and Clint Capela — recorded double-doubles within the first three quarters. The last time a team pulled that off was the Los Angeles Clippers on March 6, 2014.
Young is coming off his 13th career game with at least 40 points and 10 assists. That broke a tie between LeBron James and Allen Iverson for eighth-most in league history. In 13 games in December, Young averaged 30.4 points and 12.2 assists, the fourth month in his career in which he has averaged at least 30 points and 10 assists.
“We did some really good things, as far as our execution,” Atlanta coach Quin Snyder said. “It was good to see.”
Johnson had a career-high 24 points in the win and added 13 rebounds. In the 18 games he’s played, Johnson is averaging career highs of 14.6 points and 8.1 rebounds. He missed 14 games with a left wrist fracture.
“We hadn’t had J.J., so that helps,” Snyder said. “And Saddiq did a terrific job on the boards. We did a good job on the offensive glass. It was a good effort from the whole group.”
After playing 13 home games to start the season (tied with the New York Knicks for the fewest in the league), Atlanta will begin 2024 by playing 13 of its next 18 games at home. But Atlanta’s home record is only 4-9 and the Hawks have lost four of their last five at State Farm Arena.
The Thunder will have a tough back-to-back, but they have fared well in those situations. OKC has two sweeps and one split in three previous back-to-backs this season.
–Field Level Media
