The late game on Tuesday’s NBA slate wraps the night up in Portland. The Trail Blazers are set to host the Oklahoma City Thunder, setting up a duel between potential Western Conference playoff competitors. Tip-off is scheduled for 11 p.m. ET, so get some coffee ready – it’s going to be a late night.
Read on for a full preview, prediction and pick for Tuesday’s Thunder vs. Trail Blazers matchup, courtesy of odds on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Thunder vs. Trail Blazers prediction, preview
The Thunder are weathering numerous injuries to key players at the moment. Both Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren remain out for the foreseeable future, as does Cason Wallace. And yet, this team is surviving at 8-2 on the year and has now won four straight games. They’re seventh in NETRTG at +8.1 and have the No. 1 defense in the NBA by virtue of opponent PPG allowed (104.2) and DEFRTG, so it’s clear they’re finding an identity to make up for the lack of star power. Oklahoma City ranks fifth in rebounds per game (47.3) and fifth in blocks (5.9), holding opponents to the lowest FG% (40.8%) and eighth-lowest 3P% (32.6%). Offensively, things aren’t as smooth – the club scores 112.2 PPPG and is 16th in OFFRTG. The Thunder’s own efficiency is middling with a 45.7% FG% and a 34.9% 3P%, but they’re relying heavily on just a couple of names. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander averages 29.9 PPG off back-to-back MVP campaigns and Ajay Mitchell is posting 18.9 PPG, shooting 51.7% from the field as well. The pair are the main men here, but Jared McCain averages 12.1 PPG and Isaiah Hartenstein brings 6.9 points with a team-best 10.1 rebounds a night.
The Trail Blazers are upstarts after making the postseason last year, and they’re 6-3 to start the new season after suffering a pair of back-to-back losses. Those came to the Lakers and Spurs – two of the league’s true contenders for the playoffs – so this group will be tested plenty in competitive matchups like tonight’s. The offense has largely been stellar, averaging the third-most points with 119.3 PPG and the fourth-best OFFRTG. The Trail Blazers are eighth in FG% (47.3%) and 12th in 3P% (35.6%), falling fourth in attempts per game from beyond the arc. They’re also ninth in rebounding with 45.2 boards per game. As expected, Deni Avdija leads the team with 22.3 points and 6.3 assists per game, also bringing down 6.4 rebounds. Damian Lillard averages 19.4 points and Ja Morant posting 15.8 with 5.5 dimes a night. Toumani Camara brings 13.1 PPG and Donovan Clingan rounds out the starting five with an 11.9-point, 10.0-rebound double-double, too. The defense is more suspect, though, allowing 113.8 PPG and ranking 14th in DEFRTG. Overall, Portland is 11th in NETRTG at +5.6. It’s also worth noting that both Ja Morant and Shaedon Sharpe are out.
Thunder vs. Trail Blazers pick, best bet
DraftKings Sportsbook lists the Thunder as a 1.5-point favorite on the road tonight with -125 odds on the Moneyline. The Trail Blazers are a +106 underdog to win outright at home with the total set at 226.5 combined points.
This is an excellent Portland offense, but it’s a little bit tough to trust this team tonight. The Oklahoma City defense is excellent, even without Holmgren and Wallace’s All-Defensive talent out there. They play as a unit and do well to limit opposing scoring, and while the Trail Blazers are able to pour on points, they haven’t been great in matchups against really good teams yet. They’ve beaten the Lakers and Nuggets in matchups against playoff-caliber teams, but most recently fell to the Lakers in a rematch before dropping an outing to the Spurs. Against these real contenders, the Trail Blazers have gone 2-2. In a matchup like this one where Oklahoma City will guard aggressively and look to slow the pace of play down to limit possessions, I just don’t like betting on Portland. Instead, I think the Thunder should keep their hot streak going with another win tonight.
