Russell Westbrook (Photo : Getty Images)
The Oklahoma City Thunder resumes their European tour as they take on EuroLeague powerhouse FC Barcelona Basquet on Wednesday 2:30 p.m US EST at Palau Saint Jordi in Barcelona Spain.
Preview:
Two days after succumbing to Real Madrid (142-137) in an entertaining encounter that went into overtime at Barclaycard Center, the Thunder will be up against another competitive Spanish ballclub in Barcelona.
Victor Oladipo, who dropped 34 points on 14-24 shooting in his Thunder debut, will have to come up with the same big numbers in order for them to withstand this very good Barcelona squad that features former NBA player Victor Claver, Juan Carlos Navarro and Joey Dorsey.
Russell Westbrook is once again expected to play on restricted minutes after scoring 18 points in just 22 minutes of action, so expect Oladipo and Enes Kanter (29 points and 10 rebounds against Real Madrid) to be the stats leaders in the second stop of the Thunder's European tour.
Prediction:
Oladipo recording another 20+ game and Kanter recorded another double-double to help Thunder clinch their first preseason win. American-born Montenegrin Tyrese Rice will lead Barcelona in scoring while Claver and Navarro will provide steady scoring output for the home team.
Team News & Rumors:
Thunder: Steven Adams will likely take an off-day on Wednesday after suffering a sprained ankle against Madrid. Erik Horne of the Oklahoman (H/T Bleacher Report) reported the timetable for Adam's return remains unknown, as the center will be re-evaluated when the team returns from the European tour.
Barcelona: After pulling his name from NBA draft twice, Bulgarian big man Aleksandar Vezenkov might be going stateside after this season. Vesenkov is a former Greek League MVP and widely regarded as one of the most promising big men in Europe right now.
Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Barcelona match can be watched online via NBA League Pass. Follow the scores, boxscore stats and highlights on NBA GameCenter.
