NBA SIMS LEAGUE |
Utah (50 - 32) | Expert Pick 0% ><···················· 100% |
Oklahoma City (60 - 22) |
Healthy vs Injured
 OKC, who has clinched the #1 seed in the west, takes on Utah who is still fighting for seeding (though they have clinched a top 6 spot. The Thunder will be almost fully healthy for this tilt (only missing Deandre Ayton), while Utah, having already been without embiid for much of the season, will also be missing Austin Reaves and Kristaps Porzingis. The Matchups: Point Guard: Stephen Curry vs James Harden A true heavyweight fight here (no shade at Harden; okay maybe a little shade), both are concluding top 20 NSL seasons. They're both top 10 in points, they're #1 and #2 respectively in 3PM, and top 10-20 in a whole host of other shooting/passing categories. I don't think 40 for both guys is out of the question here. Shooting Guard: Alex Caruso vs Dyson Daniels Another very interesting matchup between 2 defensive-minded guards, in some ways this could be considered a changing of the guard, as daniels ranks 4th in the NSL in steals and is only 22, while caruso is 31. I wonder if each guard will be covering the other team's point guard, rather than them matching up by position. That would be really fun to watch. Small Forward: Anthony Edwards vs Mathisse Thybulle This one is much more one-sided than the previous 2 matchups, with ant being a bonafide star and thybulle's offensive limitations making it difficult for him to even see the court in the NBA now. However, thybulle's calling card has always been defense, and he has the chops to guard ant; I still give ant the big edge here with overall talent. Power Forward: Adem Bona vs Franz Wagner The pendulum swings in the other direction with Wagner being Bona's superior. Bona has been thrust into a starting role he's not quite fit for, with the 4 being OKC's weakest spot by far; I expect franz to take this easily. Center: Deandre Jordan vs Alex Len The matchup to forget, both teams are missing starting centers, however the edge goes to Jordan as he still is averaging double digit rebounds; kind of a drummond-lite player. |
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| X-Factor |
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| Carrying over from my SG matchup blurb, I really think Caruso and Daniels will play pivotal roles here. Both have some offensive craft (dyson is a bit better imo), and both may be tasked with guarding the other team's best player rather than each other. |
| Injury Report | |
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| Injured Players: Deandre Ayton (Finger/Illness/Calf/Back/Knee/Leg) - 42 NBA Games missed this season Returning Players: Kevin Love (returning from Personal/Back) - 27 NBA Games missed this season | Injured Players: Dru Smith (Knee/Achilles) - 56 NBA Games missed this season Austin Reaves (Back/Calf/Ankle) - 8 NBA Games missed this season Kristaps Porzingis (Foot/Leg/Ankle/Injury Management/Illness/Rest) - 36 NBA Games missed this season Joel Embiid (Knee/Injury Management/Face/Foot) - 62 NBA Games missed this season Eric Gordon (Mouth/Knee/Wrist) - 36 NBA Games missed this season Returning Players: Jaylin Williams (returning from Hamstring/Hip/Ankle) - 32 NBA Games missed this season Isaiah Joe (returning from Calf/Illness/Knee/Back) - 8 NBA Games missed this season |
| Prediction |
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| I think the injuries Utah must endure is just too much to overcome when confronted with the talent of OKC. If this were fully healthy I'd take utah, but I just think that if it comes down to curry and harden being limited from the opposing team's defensive aces, Ant can be more relied upon to pick up the slack than franz can. Therefore, I am taking: Thunder by 9 |