Tune-In Tidbits: TNT Thursday, Nov. 29

Get ready for Thursday’s TNT doubleheader with key stats and trends to know about each matchup.

Golden State Warriors (15-7) at Toronto Raptors (18-4), 8:00 ET, TNT

Tale of the Tape

Need To Know

• In what has been touted by Klay Thompson as a possible Finals preview, the East-leading Raptors host the defending champion Warriors for their first meeting of the season.
• The Warriors (49.4%) and Raptors (49.3%) are the two best shooting teams in the league.
• This matchup features winners of four of the past five Finals MVPs in Kevin Durant (2017, 2018), Andre Iguodala (2015) and Kawhi Leonard (2014 with San Antonio).
• Toronto is one of the deepest teams in the NBA with 11 players averaging at least 14 minutes per game.
• This game features former NBA G League standouts on both rosters. For Toronto, coach Nick Nurse is a former NBA G League Coach of the Year; Pascal Siakam was the MVP of the 2017 NBA G League Finals; and Fred VanVleet helped Raptors 905 win the 2017 NBA G League championship. For Golden State, Quinn Cook was the 2016 NBA G League Rookie of the Year and a two-time All-NBA G League First Team selection; and Alfonzo McKinnie was a standout with Raptors 905 before earning a spot with the Warriors.

 

Trends

• The Raptors have won six straight games, winning games by an average of 15.5 points per game.
• During their win streak, the Raptors have seven players averaging in double figures, led by Kawhi Leonard’s 22.8 in the four games he’s appeared in.
• After losing four straight games for the first time under Steve Kerr, the Warriors have won three games in a row, all of which came at home. They have lost their last four road games, with their last win away from Oracle Arena coming exactly one month ago (Oct. 29 at Chicago).
• The Warriors’ three-game win streak has come without Stephen Curry or Draymond Green in the lineup. Kevin Durant (41.7 PPG, 52.5 FG%) and Klay Thompson (30.3 PPG, 50 FG%, 45.5 3P%) have combined to average 72 points per game over the past three games.

 

Advanced

• Among Warriors players that have played in at least 15 games, Kevin Durant leads the team in Defensive Win Shares with 0.102 per game.
• Danny Green (1st – 18.0) and Pascal Siakam (4th – 15.3) are both top 5 in the NBA in Net Rating (Min 15 GP and MPG).
• Kyle Lowry is currently first in the league in assists (10.2) and creates 22.1 points per game off these assists, 2nd in the NBA behind Russell Westbrook (22.3).
• The Warriors (49.4%) and Raptors (49.3%) are the the two best shooting teams in the league.

 

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LA Clippers (14-6) at Sacramento Kings (10-10), 10:30 ET, TNT

Tale of the Tape

Need To Know

• The point guard matchup features two 20-year-old former Kentucky standouts in Sacramento’s De’Aaron Fox (17.5 ppg, 7.5 apg) and LA’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (12.5 ppg in 10 starts).
• Tobias Harris is averaging career-highs in points (21.5), rebounds (8.7), field goal percentage (52.5%), three-point percentage (42.7%) and minutes (35.1).
• Clippers coach Doc Rivers needs six wins to pass Jack Ramsay (864) for 13th all-time.

 

Trends

• The Clippers (9-1) join the 76ers (11-1) as the only teams with 1 loss at home this season.
• The Clippers have 5 different players averaging double-digit scoring, led by Tobias Harris (21.4) and Danilo Gallinari (19.1).

 

Advanced

• Led by Nemanja Bjelica (50.7% on 3.4 3PA), Buddy Hield (45.1% on 5.7 3PA), and Iman Shumpert (40.2% on 5.1 3PA), the Kings currently shoot the highest percentage (38.6%) from deep in the entire league.
• Earlier this month, De’Aaron Fox recorded his first career triple-double, joining Markelle Fultz, Dennis Smith Jr., and Lonzo Ball as the only sophomore players to record a triple double.
• The Sacramento Kings are 8-3 in 11 games that have entered clutch situations. In these Clutch situations they have 0 turnovers – the only team in the league to do so.