Last night, Dec. 19, the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated an injury-filled Orlando Magic team at the Kia Center 105-99. Now, in back-to-back days, OKC will stay in the state of Florida to take on the Miami Heat.
With a masterclass performance from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and double-digit scoring from multiple Thunder players, Oklahoma City will need to keep up their intensity against Jimmy Butler’s squad.
Time and Location
The OKC Thunder will take on the Miami Heat at the Kaseya Center tonight, Dec. 20, at 8:00 PM EST/7:00 PM CST as well as on FanDuel Sports Network – Oklahoma.
Lineups
With no new injuries to the Thunder, here is what their starters should look like:
| Position: | Name: | Number: |
| Point Guard | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | 2 |
| Shooting Guard | Cason Wallace | 22 |
| Small Forward | Lu Dort | 5 |
| Power Forward | Jalen Williams | 8 |
| Center | Isaiah Hartenstein | 55 |
As for the Heat, here is what their potential lineup might look like:
| Position: | Name: | Number: |
| Point Guard | Tyler Herro | 14 |
| Shooting Guard | Duncan Robinson | 55 |
| Small Forward | Jimmy Butler | 22 |
| Power Forward | Haywood Highsmith | 24 |
| Center | Bam Adebayo | 13 |
Injuries
For Oklahoma City, Chet Holmgren (hip), Jaylin Williams (hamstring) and Nikola Topic (ACL) are all out.
For Miami, no players are listed as out, however three guys are placed on day-to-day. Those players include Josh Richardson (heel), Nikola Jovic (ankle) and Pelle Larsson (ankle).
What to know
Leading by nearly 20 points at one point in their matchup with the Magic, SGA ended the game with 35 points, four rebounds, six assists and four steals. It was a huge recovery game from his NBA Cup loss to the Bucks, however co-star Jalen Williams still appears to be on the struggle bus.
With only 11 points on 5/15 shooting and 1/5 from three, JDub is hoping to get back on track like he was earlier in the season. Luckily, players like Aaron Wiggins, Isaiah Hartenstein and Alex Caruso were there to pick up the shortcomings.
The Thunder has a whole will have to come prepared once tipoff starts. With no rest in between games, the Heat will look to capitalize at home. Five players on their roster are currently averaging double-digit points and they rank seventh in the league in three-point percentage. OKC’s historic defense will most definitely be tested tonight.
MORE THUNDER CONTENT:
Taking a look at the NBA All-Star history for the Oklahoma City Thunder
Five OKC Thunder players place in the Ringer’s top 100 players in the NBA
OKC Thunder place first in week nine of NBA power rankings
