The Oklahoma City Thunder are in the Pacific Northwest to take on the Portland Trail Blazers! Take a look at our NBA odds series as hand out a prediction and pick while letting you know everywhere to watch.
The Thunder are having a surprisingly good season this year. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is having an incredible year with 31.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, 5.5 assists this season. He is also tied for third in steals per game. The Western Conference playoff picture is as tight as it may have ever been, and the Thunder are right in the thick of it. They are 10th in the West but are just 2.5 games back from the sixth-place Golden State Warriors and 1.0 games ahead of the 12th-place Utah Jazz. The final eight games of the season are so important if they Thunder want to put themselves into the postseason.
The Trail Blazers are 13th in the Western Conference, but there is a possibility that Damian Lillard will be out the rest of the year. Without Lillard, Portland takes themselves out of the playoff contention and it can be expected that they will be eliminated soon. The Blazers were beaten by 28 points Friday night by the Chicago Bulls. If that is how they are going to play without Lillard, it is going to be a rough ending to the season for Portland.
These two teams have met three times this season, and the Thunder have taken all three.
Here are the Thunder-Trail Blazers NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NBA Odds: Thunder-Trail Blazers Odds
Oklahoma City Thunder: -9 (-110)
Portland Trail Blazers: +9 (-110)
Over: 232 (-110)
Under: 232 (-110)
How To Watch Thunder vs. Trail Blazers
TV: Bally Sports Oklahoma, Root Sports Northwest
Stream: NBA League Pass
Time: 7 PM ET/4 PM PT
*Watch NBA games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Thunder Could Cover The Spread
The Thunder have a superstar in Gilgeous-Alexander, but teams can not forget about Josh Giddey. Giddey averages 16.3 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 6.1 assists. He has 24 double-doubles and four triple-doubles on the season. Oklahoma City is the fifth-highest-scoring team in the NBA. This is because they take the most shots in the league. Portland allows teams to shoot 48.8 percent from the field, and the Thunder could easily have another big scoring night.
Oklahoma City forces the most turnovers in the NBA, and the Blazers are top half in the league in turnovers. Portland will be without four of their regular starters in Lillard, Jerami Grant, Anfernee Simons, and Jusuf Nurkic, so the Thunder should be able to frustrate the opposition Sunday night. If the Thunder just play their game, they should be able to win this one easily.
Why The Trail Blazers Could Cover The Spread
Portland needs to find a way to win without their top players. Cam Reddish and Shaedon Sharpe are going to have to put up some serious points in this game. The Blazers are top 10 in three-pointers attempted and three-point percentage. Their bench players and backups need to have a strong game.
One thing the Blazers do well is draw fouls. They are top 10 in free throw percentage, so this game might have to be won at the charity stripe. If Portland can get some Thunder players in foul trouble, there is a chance to keep this close. They just need to be aggressive going to the rim on offense.
Final Thunder-Trail Blazers Prediction & Pick
The Trail Blazers are missing their top four scorers and starters in this game. The Thunder may be on the road, but that is too much for Portland to not have and keep this one close. Thunder should roll.
Final Thunder-Trail Blazers Prediction & Pick: Thunder -9 (-110), Under 232 (-110)
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