Another "Homecoming" For A Thunder Opponent
By Randy Renner, Senior Writer
So far it’s been a season of homecomings at Chesapeake Energy Arena as Thunder fans have roared for former favorites Serge Ibaka, Dion Waiters, Jeff Green and Scott Brooks.
Tonight a different sort of homecoming as Buddy Hield, the former University of Oklahoma All-American and last season’s college basketball Player of the Year, returns to his adopted home state for the first time as a pro with the New Orleans Pelicans.
"It's going to be fun. A college atmosphere," Hield told NBA.com. "I'm going to have fun and when I get in, stay locked in and try to help my team get a win."
But there is no guarantee Hield will “get in.”. The guy they called “Buddy Buckets” at OU has been struggling to make baskets most of the season and for now he’s fallen all the way out of Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry’s rotation playing just four minutes combined in New Orleans’ last two games.
"Obviously if the situation is right, I want to try to play him in Oklahoma," Gentry told NBA.com. "They deserve to see him play. That's where his whole fan base and the support he's gotten over the years has been. As a coach, you want to be able to reward guys in situations like that, to put him in a situation where he can play in the game."
Hield is averaging 6.9 points on 36.2 percent shooting overall this season and just 23.7 percent from beyond the arc, a place where he built his sharp-shooting reputation for the Sooners by shooting 50.1 percent overall and 45.7 percent from deep.
In his last five games with New Orleans Hield has hit only two of his 10 threes.
Homecomings have generally been good for former Thunder players who’ve been back at The Peake this season, we’ll see if the same holds true for a former Sooner.
Streaking
The Thunder and Russell Westbrook each have streaks going. Westbrook has four straight triple-doubles and the Thunder have four straight wins. On the other hand the Pelicans come into tonight’s game having lost three of their last four.
Top Scorers
Tonight’s game also features the top two scorers in the NBA. Pelicans power forward Anthony Davis leads the league in scoring at 31.5 points per game, while Westbrook is right behind at 31.2.
Shared Responsibility
No single Thunder player will have the responsibility of trying to defend Davis, instead several players will take a crack and you could see that happen on single possessions. The Thunder like to switch often on the defensive end and you can expect that tonight too. Rookie Domas Sabonis, as long as he can stay out of foul trouble could see the most time against Davis but Steven Adams will go up against him too along with Jerami Grant when he’s in there.
Tipoff is set for 6:10 and you can see the game on Fox Sports Oklahoma.