The best team in the NBA, the Oklahoma City Thunder, hosts the 14-19 Portland Trail Blazers tonight at 8:00 p.m. ET. OKC is 2-1 against the Blazers this season, with their last matchup coming on November 30. Since then, the Thunder have gone 8-4, while Portland is 5-8.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, OKC is -15.5 with the game’s over/under being set at 232.5 points. Below, I preview the game and give my prediction for tonight’s game between the Trailblazers and the Thunder.
Trailblazers vs. Thunder preview, prediction
The Thunder had a historic start to their season, going 24-1, but they have since gone 4-4 in their previous eight contests. But OKC is back in the swing of things and in the midst of a two-game winning streak, their first streak of two or more since December 10. After having four straight games of 110 points or fewer, the Thunder’s elite offense is back as they have scored 140 and 129 points in their last two games.
OKC’s best player, the reigning NBA MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, is averaging 32.3 points, 6.4 assists, and 4.8 rebounds per contest. SGA is also shooting 55.9 percent from the free-throw line and 41.9 percent on three-pointers, both of which are career highs. OKC has a deep roster with seven players averaging double-digit points. Chet Holmgren is having an excellent season and has recorded at least 24 points and nine rebounds in his last two games.
Portland has won two consecutive games and has three players averaging at least 20 points per game this season: Deni Avdija, Shaedon Sharpe, and Jerami Grant. In particular, Avija and Sharpe have taken significant leaps this year. Avija went from averaging 16.9 points to 25.6 points per contest this season. The 22-year-old Sharpe averages 22.1 points per game, which is 3.6 more than a season ago.
The Thunder allow the fewest points per game to opponents (107.9) while scoring the second most points per game (122.1). The Trailblazers allow 120.1 points per contest, the seventh most in the NBA. Portland has allowed at least 119 points in four of its previous eight games.
Trailblazers vs. Thunder, best bet
The Trailblazers did hand the Thunder their first loss of the season on November 5, but OKC is 18-1 against them in their last 19 meetings. This season, 15 of the Thunder’s 28 victories have come by at least 16 points. Although OKC’s last two wins were by 11 and 15 points, they had won their previous five games by 16 or more points. Portland will be without two of its key contributors, Jrue Holiday and Jerami Grant, tonight. Even though OKC is without Isaiah Hartenstein, they have a deep roster and are still capable of covering the -15.5 spread in this matchup.
