Can Brooklyn Break Their Three-Game Road Curse in Oklahoma City?

The Brooklyn Nets, trudging through a tough 15-39 season and sitting 13th in the Eastern Conference, are heading into a fierce showdown against the top-dog Oklahoma City Thunder, who boast an impressive 42-14 record and lead the Western Conference. This Friday night in Oklahoma City, at 8 p.m. EST, expect sparks to fly as Brooklyn tries to halt a three-game skid on the road against a Thunder squad that’s been nearly unstoppable at home with a 22-7 record. The Nets, struggling to find paint points and dealing with a rough 7-20 away stretch, will have their work cut out for them against a Thunder team averaging 13.5 three-pointers a game and a solid 25.5 assists per contest. Injuries have shaken both sides, but with players like Cason Wallace and Isaiah Joe stepping up for the Thunder, and Noah Clowney and Michael Porter Jr. fighting hard for Brooklyn, this one’s shaping up to be a gripping clash. Want to dive deeper into the stats and injury updates before tipoff? LEARN MORE

Brooklyn Nets (15-39, 13th in the Eastern Conference) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (42-14, first in the Western Conference)

Oklahoma City; Friday, 8 p.m. EST

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Thunder -16.5; over/under is 211.5

BOTTOM LINE: Brooklyn will attempt to stop its three-game road slide when the Nets face Oklahoma City.

The Thunder have gone 22-7 at home. Oklahoma City is seventh in the Western Conference with 25.5 assists per game led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander averaging 6.4.

The Nets are 7-20 in road games. Brooklyn is the worst team in the Eastern Conference scoring 43.2 points per game in the paint.

The Thunder average 13.5 made 3-pointers per game this season, 1.1 more made shots on average than the 12.4 per game the Nets give up. The Nets average 107.2 points per game, 0.8 fewer than the 108.0 the Thunder give up.

TOP PERFORMERS: Cason Wallace is averaging 8.1 points and two steals for the Thunder. Isaiah Joe is averaging 14.4 points over the last 10 games.

Noah Clowney is scoring 12.9 points per game and averaging 4.2 rebounds for the Nets. Michael Porter Jr. is averaging 14.1 points and 3.8 rebounds over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Thunder: 5-5, averaging 112.5 points, 43.4 rebounds, 25.3 assists, 8.5 steals and 5.0 blocks per game while shooting 46.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 108.1 points per game.

Nets: 3-7, averaging 104.2 points, 43.3 rebounds, 26.0 assists, 7.0 steals and 3.5 blocks per game while shooting 45.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 114.0 points.

INJURIES: Thunder: Ajay Mitchell: out (abdomen), Branden Carlson: day to day (back), Jalen Williams: out (hamstring), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: out (abdomen), Thomas Sorber: out for season (knee), Isaiah Hartenstein: day to day (rest).

Nets: Nic Claxton: out (ankle).

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.