After clinching West Group A to move on to the NBA Cup’s knockout stage with a win over the Phoenix Suns on Friday night, the Oklahoma City Thunder now heads on the road for a short two-game West Coast road trip. The trip begins with a stop in Portland to take on the Blazers for the third time already this season, and the second time in the last week.
The first meeting between the teams was OKC’s only loss, a 121-119 decision that came down to the final seconds, but last week’s matchup wasn’t even close, as the Thunder jumped on the Blazers early before winning easily 122-95. Since then, OKC has played a couple of games against the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Phoenix Suns—both of which were decided in the clutch. As for Portland, the Blazers defeated the Bucks in Milwaukee before falling to the San Antonio Spurs last Wednesday night.
The extra few days of rest are probably beneficial for Portland, considering their short roster and the numerous injuries they’re dealing with. However, it may not matter too much, as OKC edges closer to full health. Jalen Williams made his season debut on Friday against the Suns, and Aaron Wiggins is set to return against the Blazers after missing the last few weeks. Although Isaiah Hartenstein is out for at least a couple of weeks with a strained soleus, the Thunder is still a force to be reckoned with on both ends of the floor, particularly with Jalen Williams able to do damage at a high rate in both regards.
Portland has seen solid play from leading scorer Deni Avdija, but OKC held him to just 11 points a week ago. Shaedon Sharpe, the second-leading scorer for the Blazers, was absent in that game, so his return should be helpful, but even if the Blazers can knock down some shots, their defense has been pretty bad, and reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has not been slowed down by anybody this season. Not only has he continued his ability to score at will, but his playmaking has only increased as he’s averaging a career-high 6.7 assists per game with a career-low 1.7 turnovers per game.
When it comes down to it, OKC is the reigning NBA Champ who continues to make history with each game, while the Blazers are still in a rebuilding phase. The Thunder should win this one with ease and move on to the next one.
Game Details
Tip-Off: 5 PM CT
Location: Moda Center (Portland, Oregon)
Television: FanDuel Sports Network Oklahoma
Radio: WWLS 98.1FM OKC The Sports Animal
Twitter: Follow @ZacharyLowNBA for live tweets and discussion during the game
Game Notes: Oklahoma City Thunder Official Game Notes, Portland Trail Blazers Official Game Notes
Projected Starters
Thunder
- PG: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
- SG: Cason Wallace
- SF: Luguentz Dort
- PF: Jalen Williams
- C: Chet Holmgren
Blazers
- PG: Sidy Cissoko
- SG: Toumani Camara
- SF: Deni Avdija
- PF: Jerami Grant
- C: Donovan Clingan
Injury Report
Thunder
- Branden Carlson (nasal fracture) is AVAILABLE.
- Alex Caruso (right quad soreness) is OUT.
- Isaiah Hartenstein (strained right soleus) is OUT.
- Thomas Sorber (right ACL surgical recovery) is OUT.
- Nikola Topic (surgical recovery) is OUT.
Portland
- Donovan Clingan (illness) is OUT
- Scoot Henderson (left hamstring tear) is OUT.
- Jrue Holiday (strained right calf) is OUT.
- Damian Lillard (torn left Achilles tendon injury management) is OUT.
- Matisse Thybulle (left thumb ligament tear) is OUT.
- Blake Wesley (fractured right foot) is OUT.
Head-to-Head
- Since arriving in Oklahoma City in 2008, the Thunder is 41-26 (23-11 at home, 19-15 on the road) against the Trail Blazers in the regular season and 1-4 (1-1 at home, 0-3 on the road) in the playoffs.
- Since arriving in Oklahoma City in 2008, the Thunder has won the season series against the Trail Blazers 8 times, lost it 6 times, and tied 3 times.
- OKC went 4-0 against Portland last season (2-0 at home, 2-0 on the road).
- OKC is 1-1 against Portland so far this season (1-0 at home, 0-1 on the road).