Oklahoma City Thunder vs Portland Trail Blazers Predictions, Picks, Odds, and NBA Basketball Betting Preview – Western Conference Playoffs Round 1 Game 5 – April 23 2019
Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder are on the verge of yet another first-round exit in the playoffs. With a road game this Tuesday against the Portland Trail Blazers, will the Thunder rise up to the occasion and force a Game 6? Or will the Blazers, favored by 3-points at the sportsbook, seal the deal and clinch a ticket to the second round? Read on for more about Game 6. Also check out the latest NBA Playoffs series here.
Betting Preview for the Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Portland Trail Blazers NBA Playoff Game on April 23, 2019
Betting on the Oklahoma City Thunder (49-33 Regular Season)
Russell Westbrook didn’t shoot well once again in Game 4, and it played a big role in the Thunder’s 111-98 home loss to Portland. Westbrook had 14 points, but shot just 5-for-21 from the field. He was nowhere to be found when Oklahoma City needed him the most, as he scored just a point and went 0-for-7 from the floor in the final two quarters of the game. When Westbrook isn’t clicking on offense, it almost always equates to an overall struggle for the Thunder mainly because of the huge chunk of Westbrook’s field goal attempt percentage. Westbrook is leading the Thunder with 20.3 shots per game but is knocking down 37.0 percent of his shots. That’s also the same case with Paul George, albeit in a lesser degree. George, who had 32 points in Game 4 went 8-for-21 from the field but is shooting just 37.0 percent from the field thus far in the series. Perhaps the Thunder need to give Steven Adams a bigger role on offense. The big man is averaging 12.3 points per game on 67.6 field goal shooting percentage. More shots in the paint for Adams and fewer lower percentage shots from behind the arc should give Oklahoma City a much more efficient offense.
The over is 3-2 in OKC’s last five road games.
Betting on the Portland Trail Blazers (53-29 Regular Season)
The Blazers mean business. Damian Lillard and company don’t have time to involve themselves in meaningless trash-talk battles with the Thunder, and would rather focus on winning games in the first round. Lillard made his game do the talking in Game 4, scoring 24 points and had eight assists, while C.J. McCollum finished with 27 points on 10-for-20 shooting from the field with five 3-pointers, four rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and a steal in 42 minutes. The difference between the Blazers and the Thunder so far in the series is that the former has the more consistent dynamic duo. Whereas Westbrook and George have been hit and miss with their shooting, Lillard and McCollum are more consistent. Lillard leads the Blazers in the first round with 28.8 points on 43.9 percent shooting from the field and 44.0 percent from deep, while McCollum is chipping in 26.3 points on 46.3 field goal percentage and a fantastic 51.6 3-point shooting percentage. As a team, the Blazers are shooting 41.5 percent from downtown, way better than the Thunder’s 30.8 percent clip from behind the arc.
