Skip to main content

Oklahoma City looks for 50th win this season in matchup with Golden State

Golden State Warriors (32-30, eighth in the Western Conference) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (49-15, first in the Western Conference)

Oklahoma City; Saturday, 8:30 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Oklahoma City will try to earn its 50th win of the season when the Thunder play the Golden State Warriors.

The Thunder are 34-9 in conference matchups. Oklahoma City has a 3-6 record in games decided by 3 points or fewer.

The Warriors are 22-19 in conference matchups. Golden State is third in the league with 29.2 assists per game led by Draymond Green averaging 5.2.

The Thunder average 118.9 points per game, 4.8 more points than the 114.1 the Warriors allow. The Warriors are shooting 46.1% from the field, 2.5% higher than the 43.6% the Thunder’s opponents have shot this season.

The teams square off for the fourth time this season. The Thunder won the last meeting 131-94 on Jan. 3. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 30 points to help lead the Thunder to the win.

TOP PERFORMERS: Cason Wallace is scoring 8.9 points per game and averaging 3.2 rebounds for the Thunder. Isaiah Joe is averaging 14.2 points and 3.1 rebounds over the last 10 games.

Green is averaging 8.4 points, 5.6 rebounds and 5.2 assists for the Warriors. Brandin Podziemski is averaging 16.7 points over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Thunder: 8-2, averaging 113.3 points, 45.2 rebounds, 25.3 assists, 9.0 steals and 4.6 blocks per game while shooting 45.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 106.5 points per game.

Warriors: 4-6, averaging 112.3 points, 43.5 rebounds, 31.5 assists, 9.9 steals and 3.4 blocks per game while shooting 46.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 116.3 points.

INJURIES: Thunder: Alex Caruso: day to day (hip), Ajay Mitchell: day to day (abdomen), Branden Carlson: day to day (back), Jalen Williams: out (hamstring), Thomas Sorber: out for season (knee), Isaiah Hartenstein: day to day (calf).

Warriors: Kristaps Porzingis: day to day (illness), Jimmy Butler III: out for season (knee), Gary Payton II: day to day (ankle), Stephen Curry: out (knee), Moses Moody: day to day (wrist), Seth Curry: day to day (back), Will Richard: day to day (ankle).

___

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

NYPD says dozens rescued from human trafficking during World Cup

▶ Watch Video: Inside look at security preparations for World Cup Forty-three people, including seven minors, were rescued from human traffickers during the World Cup matches in the New York City area, according to the New York City Police Department's Special Victims Unit.The rescue operations were carried out between June 11 and July 19 by specialized NYPD detectives who arrested 89 individuals."The surprise was really the outpouring of support behind the mission and the collaboration with all our partners," said Inspector Gary Marcus, commanding officer of the Special Victims Unit.Those rescued, largely the victims of sex trafficking, are now being supported with an array of social services for the victims, including food, housing and counseling.The 87 operations carried out during the World Cup have generated new leads, officials said, and law enforcement agencies are building more cases based on the investigations already underway."We have ongoing investigations now as a result of these operations," an NYPD official told CBS News.Major sporting events are known to law enforcement as hotbeds of human trafficking.Years in advance, the NYPD devoted significant resources to preparing for the World Cup. Eight matches were played at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium, including the final on Sunday."When we talk about the outreach and the prep we do, a large part of that involved visiting the known sex offenders, particularly the known human traffickers, in our registry," Marcus said. "Whether they're on parole or probation for human trafficking, we visited them to make sure they're compliant with the terms of their release, and secondly, to let them know that the NYPD is watching."The matches were held in multiple cities around the U.S., Mexico and Canada. Preparations to secure those games and prepare for crimes like human trafficking were coordinated between local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.Police departments in many locations that hosted World Cup matches have made arrests and rescues connected to human trafficking, including in Georgia, New England and Missouri. Nationally, there were more than 673 arrests on human-trafficking charges made during the World Cup, and 61 adults and 13 minors rescued, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Read Next Story