Pregame 18: Thunder Vs. Hornets

Unfortunately, for all the NBA and anyone who watches the game tonight, the Brow is still benched with injury. I was kinda looking forward to the stare down contest between Perkins and Davis, seeing if the power of one could overcome the scowl of two. Anyways, the Thunder head down to the Big Easy for an interesting contest between two Western Conference teams. The Hornets have playmakers, especially Ryan Anderson and a great facilitator like Greivis Vasquez, so it will be interesting to see how the Thunder handle the Hornets and whether or not they beat them with a comfortable margin.

The Thunder are finally rounding into form, having the best opening month in franchise history with a record of 13-4. They are tied for the third best record in the league with San Antonio. So the Thunder have a chance tonight to pick up a quality win tonight, increasing their lead in the Northwest division and pulling ahead of San Antonio for the third-best record in the NBA and second best record in the Western conference. 

"I go where the sound of Thunder is"~ Alfred M. Gray

Now onto the stats.

Stat Leaders

Oklahoma City Thunder

Stat per game/leader/avg. stat

Points- Kevin Durant (26.5)

Rebounds- Kevin Durant (8.8)

Assists- Russell Westbrook (8.6)

Steals- Russel Westbrook (2.0)

Blocks- Serge Ibaka (3.4)

New Orleans Hornets

Points- Ryan anderson (16.9)

Rebounds- Anthony Davis (8.3)

Assists- Greivis Vasquez (8.8)

Steals- Al-Farouq Aminu (1.8)

Blocks- Anthony Davis (2.2)

Important Player of the Game

Thunder: Russell Westbrook. With Anthony Davis out with an ankle injury, the most important player for the Hornets is Greivis Vasquez. Averaging 13.7 points per game, 8.8 assists, and 3.9 rebounds, Greivis Vasquez will be the funnel for the majority of the Hornets offense. Russell is known for his sometimes inconsistent defense, so it will be important that Russell plays with energy and control in order to reign in Vasquez

Hornets: Ryan Anderson. Even though Greivis Vasquez will be the funnel for the Hornets' offense, Ryan Anderson will be key in the Hornets' game plan to win. Anthony Davis, the starting power forward for the Hornets is out with an ankle injury, and I would expect Ryan Anderson to start. It will be important for the Hornets to get increased output from Anderson along with a defensive effort in order to control the paint against the Thunder who love to drive into the paint to get layups and free throws. 

Three Keys to the Game

1. Kevin Martin. In the last game against the Hornets, Kevin Martin went off, going 9 of 17, 6 of 11 from beyond the arch and adding 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Facilitating Martin against the Hornets would be a great start to repeating the last outcome between these teams
2. Assists. In the last meeting between these two teams, the Thunder out assisted the Hornets 31-23, with Russell leading the way with 12 assists. Assist this much and the Thunder are almost impossible to beat. 
3. Contain Greivis. The Thunder held Greivis Vasquez to a 33% field goal percentage, going 0-2 from the arch. Making sure the Thunder corral the best play maker on the Hornets will be key to getting the victory tonight. 

The Thunder visit the Hornets in New Orleans @ 7PM CT. You can see the game at Fox Sports Oklahoma or listen to the game on WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1 FM, 640 AM).

(Credit: ESPN Stats and Information)