10 NBA things to watch for on Christmas Day
6. Can the OKThree topple the Beard and CP3?
After scuffling through the first month-and-a-half of the 2017-18 season, the new-look Oklahoma City Thunder appear to be rounding into form. Their Christmas Day matchup against James Harden, Chris Paul and the Western Conference-leading Houston Rockets will provide them with an excellent measuring stick to gauge just how far they’ve come.
While Russell Westbrook, Paul George and Carmelo Anthony are continuing to feel one another out and develop chemistry, the partnership between James Harden and Chris Paul has been seamless. Harden is leading the league with 31.5 points per game on 45.3 percent shooting to go with 9.1 assists, 5.2 rebounds, a career-high 4.3 triples and 1.8 steals, while Paul hasn’t skipped a beat in his transition from the Los Angeles Clippers to Houston, chipping in 17.6 points on 48.6 percent shooting, 9.2 assists, 5.1 rebounds, a career-high 2.6 triples and 2.4 steals in just 31.2 minutes per game. The pair of All-Star guards has helped guide Houston to 13 straight wins and an NBA-best 24-4 record, seemingly cementing the Rockets as the biggest threat to the Golden State Warriors out West.
The start of the season hasn’t gone nearly as smoothly for the Thunder. George, Westbrook and Anthony are all shooting below 41 percent from the floor, while OKC has received inconsistent contributions from its complementary cast. Westbrook remains a walking triple-double threat, but the Thunder far too often devolve into an isolation-heavy offense not befitting of the All-Star talent they’ve assembled.
On paper, Oklahoma City should be a real threat to the Rockets, Warriors and San Antonio Spurs come playoff time, but its 8-12 start to the season hardly suggested as much. Against the Rockets on Christmas Day, the Thunder’s Big Three will be able to gauge just how far they’ve come and how much further they have to go before considering themselves a legitimate Finals dark horse.
Next: 5. The Clint Capela-Steven Adams frontcourt war