Pelicans at Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder are, unsurprisingly, looking much more vulnerable without former MVP Kevin Durant in the lineup. Perhaps a visit from the reeling New Orleans Pelicans - who might also be playing without a superstar - on Wednesday will help the Thunder get back to their winning ways.
Oklahoma City is 1-2 since Durant was sidelined with a hamstring strain but the win was at home against hapless Philadelphia and the squad followed that up with its lowest-scoring effort this season in a loss to Boston and a lackluster defensive showing at Memphis. Russell Westbrook did his thing with 40 points and 14 assists but also had eight of the Thunder's 19 turnovers in a 122-114 loss on Monday to the Grizzlies, who produced the season's highest scoring total in regulation against Oklahoma City. Durant is expected to return soon, perhaps as soon as Saturday at home against New York, while New Orleans prepares to press on without forward Anthony Davis, who left a 115-98 loss to Denver on Tuesday with a shoulder injury. This is the first meeting of the season after the Pelicans won the tiebreaker over the Thunder to claim the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference last season.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, ESPN, FSN New Orleans, FSN Oklahoma
ABOUT THE PELICANS (1-10): Davis already missed two games last week because of a hip strain as he has become swallowed up in a remarkable run of injuries for New Orleans. Guards Tyreke Evans (knee) and Norris Cole (ankle) remain sidelined until later this month at the earliest and Jrue Holiday will sit Wednesday as he avoids the second half of back-to-backs to rest a troublesome right leg. Ish Smith, who entered Tuesday ranked second in the league in assists per 48 minutes (13.4), had 13 points and eight assists off the bench against the Nuggets and figures to get his third start of the season Wednesday.
ABOUT THE THUNDER (6-5): The eight turnovers by Westbrook on Monday gave him 18 since Durant departed the lineup and revived an early season issue for Oklahoma City. It gave the ball away at least 19 times in each of its first five games and entered Tuesday's action averaging the most turnovers in the league (17). Guard Andre Roberson was absent in the loss to the Grizzlies because of the flu, one of the main reasons for the poor defensive result.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Westbrook averaged 35.8 points in four meetings last season.
2. Pelicans SG Eric Gordon is averaging 20.3 points in six road games.
3. New Orleans C Kendrick Perkins - who is sidelined with a pectoral injury - is returning for the first time to Oklahoma City, where he played parts of five seasons before being traded away last February.
PREVIEW: Thunder 109, Pelicans 98