Golden State Warriors vs Oklahoma City Thunder: Injury Report, Predicted Lineups and Starting 5s - April 14th, 2021 | NBA Season 2020-21
After falling to the Utah Jazz on Tuesday night, the Oklahoma City Thunder will be back in action 24 hours later, hosting the Golden State Warriors at the Chesapeake Energy Arena.
Oklahoma City Thunder have now lost seven games in a row as they continue to struggle without star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Luguentz Dort had to step up for the team in the backcourt to avoid any embarrassment in Utah, draining a career-high 42 points.
Dort will have his work cut out on Wednesday night, as he will face off against Stephen Curry. The Golden State Warriors guard has been terrorising defenses all season and is averaging a career-high 30.4 points per night. He produced a historic 53 point-effort on Monday which led the Golden State Warriors to victory against the Denver Nuggets.
With the Golden State Warriors still in pursuit of a play-in tournament berth and the Oklahoma City Thunder going backward, the visitors should come out of this matchup with another win.
Golden State Warriors vs Oklahoma City Thunder: Injury Report
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors were without two of their starters on Monday, as both Kelly Oubre Jr. and James Wiseman missed their win against the Denver Nuggets.
Wiseman, who played for the Golden State Warriors on Saturday against the Houston Rockets, is expected to miss the rest of the season with a torn meniscus in his right knee.
Oubre Jr., meanwhile, is listed as doubtful for this matchup after missing his team's two previous outings with a minor wrist injury.
Oklahoma City Thunder
Oklahoma City Thunder's injury report is a bit more damaging to the franchise's ability to compete in games, as two of their regular starters are out of the Golden State Warriors game.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is not expected to take the floor and is set to be re-evaluated in the next few days.
Meanwhile, starting power forward, Aleksej Pokusevski injured his arm against the Philadelphia 76ers at the weekend and is listed as doubtful for this game. He also missed the Oklahoma City Thunder's loss to the Utah Jazz.
Center Mike Muscala is sidelined for the foreseeable future with an ankle injury.
Golden State Warriors vs Oklahoma City Thunder: Predicted Lineups
Golden State Warriors
Stephen Curry continues to create history from the floor. He has tallied 154 points in his last four games, overtaking Wilt Chamberlain as the franchise's all-time leading scorer.
Should Oubre Jr. miss out, Kent Bazemore will likely resume his role alongside Curry in the Golden State Warriors backcourt.
Ahead of the two veterans is another experienced head, Draymond Green, who is leading the Golden State Warriors in assists this season. He is their only player to have achieved a triple-double this season (3).
He will likely be joined by the Golden State Warriors second scoring choice, Andrew Wiggins, who already has his highest win share (2.4) this campaign since 2017.
At the five, Steve Kerr will most likely stick with Kevon Looney. Meanwhile, Wiseman's absence will be a big blow for both the player and the team, who look to make the playoffs.
Oklahoma City Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder were happy to have young forward Isaiah Roby back in their fold on Tuesday night.
After missing four games in a row, Roby returned to the starting five and grabbed nine boards and five points against the Jazz. He will most likely keep his place if he is available and start alongside Darius Bazley and Moses Brown in the Oklahoma City Thunder's frontcourt.
Against the two-time defensive player of the year, Rudy Gobert, Brown was hugely impressive on Tuesday, putting up a 12 point-15 rebound double-double performance.
Luguentz Dort was also impressive, enjoying a massive night at both ends of the floor.
He will need to have a repeat performance if OKC are to contend with Stephen Curry's legendary scoring prowess. Along with Theo Maledon, Luguentz Dort will have the unenviable task of stopping the Golden State Warriors talisman.
Golden State Warriors vs Oklahoma City Thunder: Predicted Starting 5s
Golden State Warriors
Point Guard - Stephen Curry | Shooting Guard - Kent Bazemore | Small Forward - Andrew Wiggins | Power Forward - Draymond Green | Center - Kevon Looney.
Oklahoma City Thunder
Point Guard - Theo Maledon | Shooting Guard - Luguentz Dort | Small Forward - Darius Bazley | Power Forward - Isaiah Roby | Center - Moses Brown.