Thunder Preview: Cameron Payne Set To Return Against Nuggets

Oklahoma City looks to get back into the win column tonight when the Thunder take on the Nuggets at 7 p.m. inside of Chesapeake Energy Arena.

Here are a few things to know about the matchup:

The Return Of Payne

After missing the first nine weeks of the NBA season, Thunder backup point guard Cameron Payne will return to the lineup tonight after recovering from a acute fracture to the fifth metatarsal in his foot.

This is tremendous news for OKC for more than one reason. Payne had his flashes last season in limited playing time, while he proved he’s more than capable of creating his own shot in Summer League play. Payne averaged 18.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and four assists throughout the four games in Orlando and gave Thunder fans a glimpse of what’s to come.

Along with adding a spark to the second unit, Payne is a valuable young asset and could increase his trade value if he excels over the next month leading up to the deadline. It was rumored earlier this season that OKC was in serious talks to ship Payne to Sacramento in a deal involving Rudy Gay, but the Kings backed out when Payne suffered his injury.

Semaj Christon has filled in as the second-string point guard in Payne’s absence, but head coach Billy Donovan said earlier in the week that Payne’s return doesn’t necessarily mean Christon will be out of the lineup completely. It’ll be interesting to see how he adjusts his rotation now that Payne is back and healthy.

OKC Riding Three-Game Skid

Following a nice win over the Clippers on New Year’s Eve, the Thunder has dropped three consecutive games to open 2017 and has slipped to the seventh spot in the West.

Despite the Thunder roaring back from an 18-point second-half deficit against Houston on Thursday night, the Rockets scored the last four points of the game at the free throw line to pick up the win. Russell Westbrook scored 49 points in the loss, but missed three big shots in the final 1:30 of the game as OKC once again stumbled in crunch time.

Saturday night’s matchup against Denver is a great opportunity to get back on track, and quite frankly, it’s a game they must win. The Thunder only plays three total games at home in the month of January and will need to win all of those contests to make up for potential losses throughout a daunting six-game road trip.

The Nuggets have lost four consecutive games, and with trade rumors surrounding players such as Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler and Kenneth Faried, there’s a chance Denver may not be 100% dialed in.

Jokic Is The Real Deal

While things may not be all great for the Nuggets, they definitely have a player to build around for the future in Nikola Jokic. Unfortunately for Denver, he won't be available for tonight's game in OKC due to an illness. 

This is a huge break for the Thunder, seeing Jokic is averaging 17.7 points and 9.5 rebounds over the last 10 games. Plain and simple, this guy can play.

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