Adams Back Tonight For Thunder
By Randy Renner
Thunder center Steven Adams will be back in the lineup tonight for OKC after missing the last 11 games with a broken bone in his right hand.
Thunder coach Scott Brooks said before the game Adams will not return to the starting lineup, at least not yet.
"I just found out today that he would be able to play and he hasn't practiced very much," Brooks said as to the main reason why Enes Kante would continue in the starting role. "We also have a lot of good bigs," Brooks said, "and we've always talked about guys making sacrifices."
Kanter has generally been solid and at times spectacular on offense but his defense, especially against pick-and-roll plays, has not been very good.
Adams is considered a much better defender but his offensive skills aren't as refined as Kanter's. It will be fascinating to watch how this unfolds going forward.
Kevin Durant was out on the floor during early warmups moving around without a limp and putting up shots from all over the floor.
Brooks said it will still be a little while before Durant returns.
"He continues to get better but he's just been working on the side during practice, he hasn't participated in practice yet."
Durant is scheduled for another re-evaluation of his right foot at mid-week. KD has been sidelined since undergoing a second surgical procedure on the foot to relieve pain and discomfort caused by an ill fitting screw.
The Thunder have won six straight and 13 of their last 14 at home while the Raptors have dropped seven of their last eight overall. They have particularly struggled on the road and their defense has failed them more times than note, allowing almost 109 points per game on just under 49 percent shooting.
The Thunder play eight of their next nine games at home so they'll have a chance to solidify their grip on a playoff spot.
Tipoff is set for 6:10 and we'll have complete coverage and live game updates on the Twitter page of our website and then be watching for our postgame video wrapup after the game.