The Golden State Warriors are fresh off a three-team trade that helped booster their backcourt with plenty of depth that will come in handy against a very competitive Western Conference. The team will face the Oklahoma City Thunder who sit on top as this matchup looks to be a preview of the 2014 NBA Playoffs.
Oklahoma City has thrived against Golden State over the past two seasons. The team has won their last nine home games against the Warriors by an average of 10.3 points. However, all of that was done with Russell Westbrook in the lineup, something that will not occur on Friday night.
Kevin Durant will once again be expected to step up his shooting as Westbrook sits out with a knee injury. He has struggled in his last two games against the Warriors, totals just 45 points and 20 rebounds in that stretch, shooting just 34.4 percent overall. Since the injury to Westbrook, Durant is averaging 34.6 points per game as the Thunder has fallen to a 6-5 record without the guard.
The Thunder defense could have their hands full with all of the scoring talent now on the Golden State roster. The team ranks fourth in the league shooting 38.4 percent from beyond the arc, but is only shooting them at a 33.2 percent clip in the last eight games. They are efficient, just not enough. The Warriors missed 19 of 28 3's against Denver in their home loss.
Golden State is on a two-game losing streak after stringing together 10-straight wins. The loss to the Nuggets was just the fifth time the Warriors have dropped a game with their regular starters in the lineup.
The Warriors need players like Stephen Curry to get out of their current slumps. He is shooting just 36.1 percent from the field and 25.5 percent from the 3-point line in five games. The team will have newly acquired MarShon Brooks and Jordan Crawford in the lineup after getting them in a trade from the Boston Celtics.