As the Thunder return to action following the All-Star break, they will enter Friday night’s contest against the Utah Jazz as 4.5-point favorites at Chesapeake Energy Arena.
The meeting against the Jazz is the third of the season as Oklahoma City won the previous two meetings and currently has a 15-game winning streak against Utah at home — the last loss in OKC was on Oct. 31, 2010.
Prior to the All-Star break, the Thunder had won 11 out of their last 13 games after losing to the New Orleans Pelicans on Feb. 14. Meanwhile, the Jazz have won 13 out of their last 16 games.
For the Thunder, recent signee Markieff Morris should be available to make his debut after the organization officially announced the signing of the eight-year veteran Wednesday.
Morris missed some time this season with the Washington Wizards due to a neck injury but he said Thursday that he was medically cleared two weeks ago and is ready to play.
I just came to be a vet, man. I came to try to help the team keep push toward the ultimate goal and that’s to win a championship. I’m just ready to play. I’m excited to be here. I know a bunch of guys on the team already and I’m ready to go.
A win by the Thunder on Friday would clinch the season series against the Jazz and would ensure the team holds the tiebreaker if the two teams finish with the same record at the end of the season.
The game is set to tip off at 8:30 p.m. CT and can be seen on ESPN.
