Preview: San Antonio Spurs at Oklahoma City Thunder – Game #11
Lonnie Walker IV will suit up for the Spurs tonight against the Thunder (Photo via Twitter)
The San Antonio Spurs (5-5) are on the last leg of their five-game road trip. Tonight, they take on the Oklahoma City Thunder (5-4), who have won three straight games and four out of their last five.
The Spurs are coming off a 96-88 loss against the Minnesota Timberwolves in which they appeared to run out of gas at the end. Despite that defeat, San Antonio has to be thrilled that they are 3-1 on this road trip. If they end the road trip with a 4-1 record, that’d be a notable early-season success.
As for the Thunder, they are once again exceeding all expectations. Last season, OKC wasn’t expected to do much but they ended up making the playoffs. This season, their expectations were even lower — and yet they are once again in the playoff picture.
DeMar DeRozan Status Update: Still Out
After DeMar DeRozan scored 38 points on Saturday night, he left the team to be with his sick father in California. DeRozan missed Sunday’s loss and will also miss tonight’s contest. The Spurs haven’t announced when he is expected to return to the court.
There’s definitely a chance that DeRozan could be sidelined for another week or more, as he will likely need to quarantine before getting the green light to join his teammates.
San Antonio Spurs Injury Update
Lonnie Walker IV, who had 22 points in the first half against the Wolves on Sunday, ended up leaving the game in the fourth quarter with a cramp. After the contest, he insisted that he was okay. He’ll suit up tonight and wasn’t even listed on the injury report, which is obviously great news for Walker and the Spurs.
San Antonio also got good news regarding rookie Devin Vassell. Like Walker, Vassell was forced out of Sunday’s game after banging knees. Initially, the rookie was listed as questionable on the injury report. However, the Spurs now believe he’ll be healthy enough to play.
Still on the sidelines are Drew Eubanks (COVID-19 protocols), Derrick White (toe fracture) and Quinndary Weatherspoon (knee surgery). Head coach Gregg Popovich recently gave an update on Weatherspoon and said the second-year guard could return to action in a week or two.
Spurs at Thunder: How the Spurs Can Win
While the Thunder are at home, have the better record and the Spurs are without DeRozan, San Antonio is still favored by Vegas to win the game. That makes sense because OKC relies on a lot of young, inexperienced players. If the Spurs come out with energy and get quality bench production, they have a good chance of overwhelming the home team.