Tip-Off: 9:30 PM CT

Location: Moda Center (Portland, Oregon)

Television: ESPN and Fox Sports Oklahoma

Radio: WWLS 98.1FM OKC The Sports Animal

Twitter: Follow @TheThunderGuys for live-tweets during the game

The Oklahoma City Thunder kicked off 2019 with a 107-100 win over the Laker in Los Angeles, but it didn’t come easily. For the sixth time this season, the Thunder shot below 40% from the floor, but this was the first time OKC came away with the win. Now, they turn their eyes to their matchup with the Trail Blazers in Portland tonight.

Portland started off the season as one of the hottest teams in the league at 10-3, but since then, they have struggled at time to get to 22-16. Damian Lillard leads the Blazers in scoring with 26.7 points per game, good for 8th in the NBA, but CJ McCollum, a traditional sharpshooter, is shooting a career-low 32.9% from three. Still, McCollum has the ability to go off at any given moment.

Russell Westbrook has continued to struggle with his shot, but Paul George has been hot, and Russ has found other ways to contribute to the game. The dynamic duo needs to play at their best to combat the talents of Lillard and McCollum.

Projected Starters

Thunder

• PG: Russell Westbrook
• SG: Terrance Ferguson
• SF: Paul George
• PF: Jerami Grant
• C: Steven Adams

Blazers

• PG: Damian Lillard
• SG: CJ McCollum
• SF: Maurice Harkless
• PF: Al-Farouq Aminu
• C: Jusuf Nurkic

Injuries

Thunder

• Alex Abrines (personal) is OUT.
• Andre Roberson (left patellar tendon) is OUT.

Blazers

• NONE

Head-to-Head

• Since arriving in Oklahoma City in 2008, the Thunder is 18-22 against the Trail Blazers (11-9 at home, 7-13 on the road).
• Since arriving in Oklahoma City in 2008, the Thunder has won the season series against the Trail Blazers 3 times, lost it 5 times, and tied twice.
• The Thunder lost all 4 games against the Blazers a season ago by an average of 6.5 points.
• The Thunder has lost 6 consecutive games to the Blazers, and they have not won in Portland in the last 8 tries.

Game Notes

• The Thunder has won 2 games in a row, and the Blazers have won 2 in a row, also.
• The Thunder and the Blazers are both 7-3 in their last 10 games.
• Oklahoma City is 11-9 on the road while Portland is 14-6 at home.
• Oklahoma City is 14-11 against the Western Conference while Portland is 13-13.
• The Thunder is 12-8 after one day of rest while the Blazers are 4-2 after two days of rest.
• The Thunder is 4-3 on Fridays while the Lakers are 1-4.
• Oklahoma City Thunder Official Game Notes
• Portland Trail Blazers Official Game Notes

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