Oklahoma City hosts Houston at 2:30 p.m. Central. Trade deadline acquisition Jared McCain will make his Thunder debut, but Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell remain out. 

Here are three key matchups to monitor for this potential playoff preview. 

The Thunder’s offense is in dire straits with Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams and Mitchell sidelined because they are the top playmakers and ball handlers. Granted, Isaiah Hartenstein and Jaylin Williams are capable of manufacturing layups and triples via dribble handoffs, but this is more of a supplementary avenue rather than a primary one. 

Enter Jared McCain. Oklahoma City traded Houston’s 2026 first-round pick along with three future second-round picks to Philadelphia at the trade deadline in exchange for the sophomore guard. McCain is still working his way back into pre-injury form, but he flashed immense potential last season as a scorer. 

For example, McCain averaged 19.1 points per game while shooting 37.7% from deep during November of 2024 as a rookie before suffering a torn meniscus the following month. 

It’s unclear how many minutes McCain will see in his Thunder debut, but he brings shooting, ball handling and playmaking to an injury-riddled offense that desperately needs it. His services will be especially useful against an elite Houston defense that features Amen Thompson and Josh Okogie at the point of attack.  

Fred VanVleet’s untimely injury last offseason made playmaking a weakness for the Rockets. Amen Thompson, Alperen Sengun and Kevin Durant have subsequently handled the basketball a bit more than they should, which has resulted in many ugly possessions. 

Houston’s offense currently commits turnovers at the fifth-highest rate in the NBA, and Oklahoma City’s defense forces turnovers at the third-highest rate. The Thunder will need to find ways to scrape together points without its main threats, and points via turnovers may be a rich source in this matchup. 

Another consequence of the VanVleet injury is that Houston struggles to consistently orchestrate quality half-court possessions down the stretch. The Rockets’ offense has only scored 108.2 points per 100 possessions in clutch time this season, which ranks 20th across the NBA. 

Oklahoma City’s offense ranks second in clutch offense at 125.6 points per 100 possessions. However, Gilgeous-Alexander is largely responsible for the Thunder’s success in the final five minutes. Who will step up and carry the burden? 

Overall, it may come down to which offense is able to generate superior shots in clutch time.