Feel like the bench could have some success in this game. They primary play PNR with Schroder and Noel and I expect Stotts to continue to let Zach be the center on D. Patterson has been crap and should be an easy cover for Meyers. They also run a lot of snug/logo ball screen action though which will make Zach's positioning very important. Make Schroder a finisher and protect against the lob. Zach's pretty good at this, but Noel's athleticism is pretty overwhelming.
Dame has had some sloppy playmaking stretches lately. Fully expect OKC to shrink the floor and take away Dame's drives and Nurks roll game as much as they can. I'm sure Dame has seen the film and is anticipating this, but the pressure is on his playmaking and shot selection to avoid sparking their offense through easy transition baskets, especially early in the game.
But OKC also does a good job being early in help which puts them in great position to close and contest, so guys will need to be smart and decesive reading closeouts and making the right play off that initial pass And even then, OKC does a great job scrambling and taking away the next pass so it'll be important to keep playing throughout the entire shot clock. They have done a better job of this lately, but that'll need to be there again tonight.
Look for Stotts to run more empty side ball screens than usual to combat OKC's tendency to sell out on the PNR and dribble penetration. It's a go to secondary break action, but I think we'll see it used more in the half court as well.
Lastly, this feels like another game where Moe's play will be a big factor. PG has been unbelievable this year, and if Moe can make it tough on him in the half court and hit some shots on the other end, that could swing the balance of this game.
Go Blazers.
