

Broadcast Information

Tip-off: 7:00 p.m. CT

7:00 p.m. CT Television: TNT

TNT Radio: WWLS the Sports Animal and the Thunder Radio Network

Sometimes performance and results don’t always correlate. In fact, the Thunder’s opponent tonight, the San Antonio Spurs, are the standard bearers of the “process over outcome” mindset. The Thunder is built with that same culture, but right now after losing four straight games, the team recognizes that the way it is playing must improve in order to get the results it wants.

In particular, that comes on the defensive end, where the Thunder cannot surrender 126 points again like they did on Tuesday against the Portland Trail Blazers. While there is a lot of newness, some of the defensive mojo that needs to be regained simply comes from playing with tenacity, intensity and personal pride. On top of that, there’s the need to communicate and manage switches and mismatches in transition and off of pick and roll actions.

“A lot of times you have to help your teammate out. In a cross-match you have a bigger guy on a smaller guy or vice-a-versa, you have to be able to help your teammates out and find ways to make it hard,” point guard Russell Westbrook said.

Swipe left through these pics from today's game day shootaround. A post shared by Oklahoma City Thunder (@okcthunder) on Mar 9, 2017 at 10:07am PST

All of those areas will be tested tonight against a Spurs squad, who, under Gregg Popovich, has played the same pace, space and selfless ball movement style for years. Combining that with a fervent defensive system that relies on communication and commitment, the Spurs are one of the toughest teams in the league to beat.

This year, Kawhi Leonard has elevated his game to new heights, while playing off of Tony Parker and LaMarcus Aldridge, who can also initiate offense for the Spurs. For Head Coach Billy Donovan’s group, winning tonight at Chesapeake Energy Arena will come down to an ability to use the Thunder roster’s length, size, speed and athleticism to squeeze the floor on San Antonio. As the Thunder prepares to play one of its biggest Western Conference rivals tonight in front of Loud City, it will be laser-sharp in its scouting and mental focus.

“They’re just going to run their systems,” Donovan said. “They’re well in tune with each other and have great chemistry. We have to stay focused and disciplined. They’re one of those teams that if you give them a window of opportunity to capitalize on, they’re really good at finding those spots.”

“They’re really good at getting to the rim and looking for threes,” guard Doug McDermott explained. “They have a very tough offense to guard and they’re obviously very well coached. We’re going to have to bring our all. It’ll be a tough game but I’m sure it’ll be a great environment.”