Thunder Gameday: Kicking off Long Road Trip in Minnesota

Oklahoma City will start a five-game road trip against the Timberwolves tonight.

The Oklahoma City Thunder begin a long road trip tonight in Minnesota against the Timberwolves. For the next five games, the Thunder will be away from Oklahoma City in what should be a real challenge.

It’s a pivotal point in the season for OKC, as a poor stretch could really put the Thunder in a hole. Getting off to a hot start on the trip tonight is crucial.

Matt Krohn / USA TODAY Sports

ODDS: 

The Thunder enter the day as 4-point underdogs to the Timberwolves, and the total over/under is 232.5 points.

KEYS TO THE GAME: 

Entering this season, it was widely expected that Minnesota would be well above .500 at this point in the season. While the team has underperformed, it still has the talent to turn things around. Furthermore, the Timberwolves will be the more talented team on the floor tonight.

Oklahoma City struggles against bigs, which proved true when the Wolves beat the Thunder twice in the first week of the season. Luckily for OKC, Karl-Anthony Towns is out with an injury, meaning more resources can be thrown at Rudy Gobert.

Gobert is a monster on the boards, with the ability to completely control the game in that respect. He’s also a fantastic rim protector, which could hinder Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s ability to score in the paint tonight.

Even without Towns, the Timberwolves have a ton of size and length. As such, Aleksej Pokusevski will play a key role in this matchup.

The Thunder have a 3-8 record on the road this season, meaning this test will be extremely tough for them.

RECORDS: 

Oklahoma City Thunder (9-13) vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (11-11)

WHEN: 

Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022 at 7:00 PM CT

LOCATION: 

Target Center - Minneapolis, MN

TV/RADIO: 

Bally Sports Oklahoma, NBA League Pass, 98.1 FM The Sports Animal

FINAL WORD: 

Following this contest, the Thunder will head to Atlanta to take on the Hawks on Monday night.

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