If you enjoy tactical defensive clinics, tonight in Atlanta is probably not your broadcast. The Thunder drag an 0-2 record into State Farm Arena for a 7:00 PM EDT tip-off against the 2-1 Hawks, and neither coaching staff has figured out how to stop the bleeding; Oklahoma City is surrendering 122.0 points per game, while Atlanta is sitting right behind them at 121.7. OKC is launching its first true road test at 0-0 away from home, while the Hawks are still searching for their first local victory after a 0-1 start on their home floor.
Roster rotation roulette makes this exhibition even trickier, especially with Oklahoma City listing center Thomas Sorber and guard Nikola Topic as game-time decisions following surgical recoveries. When both teams are bleeding over 121 points a night, the winner usually isn't the squad that suddenly plays elite defense, but the one that fails slightly less at guarding the paint. Lock in your pick and jump into the game thread on StreakChat to tell us who takes it.