Oklahoma City has had a difficult time stopping LaMarcus Aldridge this season.
In the three previous games against OKC this year, Alridge is averaging 28.7 points and 10.7 rebounds per game.
He scored 39 in the first meeting back on Nov. 7, and 22 on Jan. 2.
Alridge posted another double-double in San Antonio’s win over the Thunder back on Feb. 11, scoring 25 points and grabbing 14 rebounds in the 114-106 victory.
In that game, both Steven Adams and Nerlens Noel drew Aldridge as a defensive assignment. Adams played 32 minutes, scoring 10 points but racking up five fouls. Noel wasn’t a ton of help in relief, limited to just eight minutes while picking up four personals.
But this time around, Noel has a different game plan.
He told Maddie Lee of The Oklahoman that his strategy for guarding Aldridge on Sunday is “just to bother him.”
“There’s some exceptional post players in the league and he’s one of them. He always makes tough shots, but you know, I have a different mindset than last game. You know, just want to bother him in certain different ways. Switch it up. You know, there are guys that are able to wrap your arms up and all that little silly stuff. So, you know, I’ve got to be mindful of that, keep the fouls low and not put anybody on the free-throw line as much as I have been. So, it’s little things that will make a difference.”
Nerlens Noel on his mindset going up against LaMarcus Aldridge: “Just to bother him…” pic.twitter.com/mibdEIdShr
— Maddie Lee (@maddie_m_lee) February 22, 2020
Despite the team-high 25 in the last game, Alridge’s shooting percentage wasn’t great. He made just 9-of-30 from the floor but did go to the free-throw line eight times, where he made seven of his attempts.
The Thunder and Spurs will tip-off inside Chesapeake Energy Arena at 6 p.m. CT on Sunday evening in their final matchup of the regular season.