Thursday night sets the stage for a clash as the Portland Trailblazers (10-26, 16-20 ATS) hit the road to face the Oklahoma City Thunder
Follow Us
Thursday night sets the stage for a clash between two Northwest Division adversaries as the Portland Trailblazers (10-26, 16-20 ATS) hit the road to face the Oklahoma City Thunder (24-11, 23-11-1 ATS). Notably, the Thunder will be wrapping up a back-to-back, having played in Miami the night before.
In their recent matchup, Portland suffered a decisive defeat, getting dominated by the Knicks in New York with a final score of 112-84, falling short as 12.5-point road underdogs. On the flip side, the Thunder secured a victory in their previous game against the Wizards, winning 136-128 on the road. However, they missed covering the spread as 11.5-point favorites.
This marks the second encounter in a series of four matchups between these teams this season. In their initial face-off, the Thunder emerged victorious by a staggering 43-point margin on the road. The game is set to commence at 8:00 PM EST at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City.
For the Thunder, Bertans (illness) and Sarr (illness) are questionable for the game. As for the Trail Blazers, Brown (wrist injury) and Williams (knee injury) will be sitting this one out. Besides, Ayton (knee injury) and Walker (knee injury) could also miss out the game.
The Trailblazers appear firmly entrenched in the 14th position in the Western Conference, which is not an ideal position. They trail the 13th-placed Grizzlies by 3.5 games, yet maintain a 4.5-game lead over the last-positioned Spurs. To change their standing, Portland must consider making a trade promptly or witness noticeable improvement from their young stars to climb up the standings.
Having dropped four of their previous five games, it’s worth noting that all these matches occurred away from home, with this upcoming one marking the sixth in a seven-game road trip. In their recent outing against the Knicks, Jerami Grant took charge for the Blazers, contributing 21 points despite ending up on the losing side.
As we navigate the midpoint of the NBA season, a fierce competition is unfolding at the summit of the Western Conference standings. The Timberwolves, Thunder, and Nuggets currently occupy the top three positions, with each team situated within a slim 1.5-game margin of one another. With such a close race, every game takes on heightened significance as these teams strive to secure favorable positions in the standings.
The Thunder enter their game against Miami with two losses in their last three outings, facing a quick turnaround with a matchup against Portland just 24 hours later. In their recent contest against Washington, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander took the reins, spearheading the team with 32 points in the victory.
Get the latest from Sportslumo.com by following us on Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube
