Pregame 22: Third Time's The Charm?

Vs. 

When: Wednesday, December 12 @ 7 PM CT

Where: Oklahoma City- Chesapeake Arena

Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal  (98.1 FM, 640 AM)

TV: Fox Sports Oklahoma (Cox 37, HD 722, Tulsa Cox 27, DirectTV 679, UVerse 754)

Stream: Here

Tonight, the Thunder play New Orleans for the 3rd time this year. Anthony "The Brow" Davis is finally back in the lineup. Is tonight the night? Well, Probably not.

The Hornets enter tonight on a 4 game skid, playing the likes of playoff contenders such as Memphis and Miami, and then dropping a game to the league-worst Wizards, 77-70. The schedule doesn't get any easier for the Hornets tonight.

Oklahoma City comes into tonight on their second-best streak of their young history, the best being 9 games back in 2010. The Thunder have scored 100+ points in 12 straight games, going 11-1 with a lone loss to the Celtics. Kevin Durant is scoring at a clip harkening back to a few years ago when he averaged 30.1 ppg. Russell is more under control than ever, keeping turnovers down and being an absolute monster on defense, especially when he does this. Kevin Martin is scoring again, getting more looks and taking advantage of them. Serge Ibaka is protecting the paint much like last year, and shooting the mid-range better than almost anyone in the NBA. This loss will sting if the Thunder drop this one.

OKC has been known in the past to lay up a stinker game against a chump opponent while working on a long winning streak. This game could very well be considered a trap game, especially with the Thunder facing Anthony Davis for the second time this year. Davis could very well have a breakout game for the Hornets tonight, just destroying the paint against Oklahoma City. Greivis Vasquez could release his "inner Rondo" and make Russell look silly. Ryan Anderson could stroke it better than anyone in the house tonight. Can all this happen in one night? No.

The Thunder seem to have a focus that no one has been able to waver as of yet. Even going into overtime, Kevin Durant and Co. seem to be unaffected and making it look easy. So OKC will come out of tonight unscathed, equaling their longest streak ever heading into a game against another sub-.500 team in the Kings and then to the game everyone wants to see, the San Antonio Spurs. Gotta win tonight though, one game at a time. Thunder UP!

Prediction: 113-90. The only reason the Hornets get this many points is because the Thunder rest their whole starting 5 for the 4th quarter.

Now onto the Stats

"Loud roared the dreadful thunder, The rain a deluge showers."~ Andrew Cherry

Stat leaders 

Stat per Game / Leader / Average Per game

Oklahoma City Thunder

Points- Kevin Durant (27.0)
Rebounds- Kevin Durant (8.5)
Assists- Russell Westbrook (8.5)
Steals- Russell Westbrook (2.0)
Blocks- Serge Ibaka (3.1)

New Orleans Hornets

Points- Ryan Anderson (18.4)
Rebounds- Anthony Davis (8.3)
Assists- Greivis Vasquez (8.4)
Steals- Al-Farouq Aminu (1.4)
Blocks- Anthony Davis (2.3)

Important Player of the Game

Thunder: Kevin Durant. Oklahoma City usually do only as well as their floor general. If Kevin Durant is on, no one can overcome them. If KD is off, the game comes into question. If Durant goes out and lays it on the Hornets in the first half, look for him to be out for the entirety of the 4th quarter.

Hornets: Anthony Davis. The Hornets' number 1 draft pick is finally back in the lineup tonight. He is their leading shot blocker and leading rebounder. So as much as the Thunder come and go with how well KD does, the Hornets even more will rely on the young rookie to lead them to victory. Question is, can he function well under pressure?

Three Keys to the Game

1. Ball Movement. The last two games the Thunder has played against the Hornets, they have registered 31 and 21 assists in the two respective games. Westbrook was the leader in these two games, with 12  and 10 assists in both games. OKC and Westbrook assisting well is a winning formula, and will continue to be should both assist very well tonight. 
2. Swish! Both wins against the Hornets this year have come with Oklahoma City stroking it from the field from not only the field, but the arch and the line also. If the Thunder come out hot, it will be tough for New Orleans to catch up, much less win. 
3. Kevin Martin. In both match-ups this year, Kevin Martin has put it on the Hornets. He scored 27 and 19 in the two meetings this season, so look for Martin to exploit the Hornets defense once again for a high scoring night. 

Thunder Up!