Vitals: Warriors at Thunder

The Thunder looks to rebound after a loss to the Boston Celtics.

Thursday, May 26th 2011, 11:22 am

By: News On 6

Originally Published: Dec 7, 2009 2:11 PM CDT

Dave Carty
Oklahoma Sports Staff Writer

Golden State Warriors (6-13) at Oklahoma City Thunder (10-9)
Monday, December 7, 2009, 7:00 p.m.
Ford Center, Oklahoma City
Game 20 of 82

Anticipated Starting Lineups

	Golden State (Away)	Oklahoma City (Home)
PG	C.J. Wilson 8.5 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 1.9 APG	Russell Westbrook 16.3 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 7.1 APG
SG	Stephen Curry 10.4 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 5.1 APG	Thabo Sefolosha 6.5 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 2.1 APG
SF	Monta Ellis 24.4 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 5.3 APG	Kevin Durant 28.1 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 3.1 APG
PF	Vladimir Radmanovic 10.1 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 1.4 APG	Jeff Green 14.3 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 1.7 APG
C	Mikki Moore 4.1 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 1.6 APG	Etan Thomas 3.8 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 0 APG

Injuries
Golden State: G, Kelenna Azubuike (knee, out); G, Raja Bell (wrist, out); C, Andris Biedrins (groin, out); G/F, Devean George (knee, out); F, Brandan Wright (shoulder, out); F, Ronny Turiaf (knee, questionable); G, Anthony Morrow (personal, probable).
Oklahoma City: G/F, Kyle Weaver (shoulder, out); G, Kevin Ollie (knee, out); Nenad Krstic (ankle, day-to-day).

Where to find it...
On TV: Fox Sports Oklahoma
On Radio: Thunder Radio Network

What you need to know?
A depleted and disappointing roster has led to poor results all season for Don Nelson’s squad. They’re going small due to injuries, starting Monta Ellis at small forward. As a result, they were able to hang with the Orlando Magic on Saturday night. Still, the Warriors have lost three straight games, giving up at least 111 points in each. They have the league’s worst defense – allowing 114.2 points per game, five points high than the second-worst Toronto Raptors – but also are second-best in points per game scored with 109.8. The up-tempo offense is a devil may care style of play, but it utilizes the Warriors few strengths.

This is the first time all season that the Thunder plays on a Monday night. They’ll hope to avoid a case of the Mondays, something much of the working community struggles to do. This is the first meeting between the Thunder and Warriors this season, but, if the past is any indication, get ready for a lot of scoring. In the past four meetings between the clubs, both teams scored 100-plus points. Last February, the most recent matchup between the teams, the two combined for 153 points. The Thunder has won with defense, but they’ll need to be ready to trade punches on offense with the Warriors.

Who to watch...
With Steven Jackson out of town, Ellis is now the top scoring threat. You can nearly guarantee Ellis will hurl up 20 shots per game, though he’s used to doing it in the Warriors backcourt. He’s very undersized to be matching up against forwards, which could be used to his advantage or a serve as a detriment.

Russell Westbrook will need a big game against the speedy Warriors lineup. Keeping cool under the fast pace will be a priority. Hard-working Jeff Green could also benefit against the soft defense Golden State will throw at the Thunder in the paint.