The Thunder's quest for the first win in franchise history continues tonight against a division rival, the Minnesota Timberwolves (1-1). Both teams are in the second night of a back-to-back with the Timberwolves hitting the road after a home loss to Dallas on Saturday. The Timberwolves were one of the few teams that the Thunder/Sonics had significant success against last year going 3-1 in their 4 matchups. While the two teams have very different strengths, in many respects they are coming from the same place. Both teams are attempting to stockpile young talent and build around their young stars, Jefferson and Durant. Both have had a number of high first round picks over the past few years and have recently started to take character into account (see: Green, Westbrook, Love - acquired by trading OJ Mayo). The Thunder are building around their backcourt (Durant and Westbrook), while the Timberwolves are building through the frontcourt (Jefferson and Kevin Love). In one respect, the Timberwolves are ahead of the Thunder, as they have built a nice stockpile of talent in the wings with Rashad McCants, Randy Foye and Corey Brewer, while the Thunder's frontcourt is comparatively thin. At the same time, the Thunder have identified their point guard of the future, while the position is a blackhole for the Timberwolves.
Best Player: Al Jefferson. Jefferson, now in his fifth year out of high school emerged over the last two years as one of the best young post players in the league. Despite not having the freak athleticism of other young frontcourt all-stars (Amare Stoudamire and Dwight Howard spring to mind), Jefferson's size, footwork and strong hands allow him to put up great numbers. After stalling his sophomore campaign, Jefferson made huge leaps each of the last two years, and is unquestionably the man in Minnesota. As a 22 year-old, he had a 22+ PER, which points to a decade of elite level production from the big man for the Timberwolves. While the Kevin Garnett trade unquestionably worked out for Celtics, in 5 years, when that championship is a memory, the Timberwolves will still have an elite big man in the prime of his career.
Best Matchup: Chris Wilcox vs. Al Jefferson. While Jefferson has had his typical strong numbers when playing the Thunder/Sonics, Chris Wilcox has had a lot of success against the Timberwolves, averaging almost 18 points and 11 rebounds in four games last year. If Wilcox can provide a solid second option, the Thunder's chances of winning dramatically increase.
Hidden Stat: Despite losing 3 of 4 to the Thunder/Sonics last year, the Timberwolves ended the season with 2 more wins. This is backed up their two point edge in point differential, ending at -6.8 ppg compared to the Thunder's -8.8, which ranked last in the league.
Prediction: Coming off two disappointing loses, the Thunder come home and reward the fans with their first win in Oklahoma City. Kevin Durant leads the way with 24 points in a 91-84 win.
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