The Oklahoma City Thunder are breaking away from the rest of the Northwest with a huge lead atop the division’s standings, and they will continue to extend that distance this coming Sunday why they take on fellow division rivals the Portland Trail Blazers.
[sc:NBA250 ]Can the duo of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook put on another terrific show on the road, or will Damian Lillard and the Blazers put an end to their current three-game slide? Let’s take a closer look at this thrilling matchup below.
Then, head on over to our preview for Cleveland vs. Philadelphia to be on top of another one of Sunday night’s slate of fantastic NBA games.
[sc:NBAArticles ]Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Portland Trail Blazers Preview
Where: Moda Center, Portland
When: Sunday, January 10, 9:00 PM ET
Line: Oklahoma City Thunder at Portland Trail Blazers – view all NBA lines
Betting on the Oklahoma City Thunder (26-11)
[sc:NBA240banner ]For as long as the Oklahoma City Thunder have Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant healthy and active simultaneously, the team will be almost impossible to contain.
Friday’s 117-113 victory over the Lakers in Los Angeles marked the seventh-consecutive game that Oklahoma City has won with both Westbrook and Durant in the lineup, with the former accounting for 36 of the team’s points on 13-of-16 shooting from the free throw line to go along with 12 rebounds.
Westbrook’s performance on Friday exemplifies the strength of this Thunder team as a whole: slash down the lanes, get high-percentage shots and try to draw some contact in the process. The Thunder rank are within the the top three of the league in terms of free-throw shooting (25.6 attempts per game) and points in the paint (nearly 47 points per contest). In turn, they are second only to Golden State with a whopping 114.1 points per game.
Meanwhile, Durant has been on fire just the same, making 58.7 percent of shots from the floor and hitting seven of his last 10 shots from long distance over the past three games.
Oklahoma City should find plenty of opportunities to score in bunches once again from the charity stripe, as the Blazers are allowing nearly 26 free throw attempts to their opponents – worst in the NBA. With that in mind, the Thunder seem primed to run away with their fifth-straight victory on the road. They have won six of their last seven games away from home, but are only 4-3 against the spread during that span.
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Betting on the Portland Trail Blazers (15-24)
The Portland Trail Blazers ran into a buzz saw this past Friday night, getting routed by the Golden State Warriors, 128-108. It was the team’s third-straight loss since the start of their current five-game homestand.
Portland will look to avoid a fourth-straight defeat in front of their fans at the Moda Center, but will have the unfortunate task of upending the streaking Thunder and their potent offensive arsenal. The Blazers need to toughen up on defense to try and contain OKC indeed, because they have surrendered an average of 108.6 points per contest to the opposition over the last five games.
At least Portland’s go-to guy, Damian Lillard, is still playing like a beast. Lillard scored 40 points and dished out 10 assists in the loss to the Warriors, but shot less than 30 percent from the floor (11-of-39) in that game. He’ll need to put up another stellar and more efficient outing this Sunday if the Blazers stand a chance against the Thunder.
Breakout contributor C.J. McCollum, who had 17 points against Los Angeles, has also got to complement Lillard’s offensive output from Portland’s backcourt to keep with Oklahoma City’s own one-two punch. McCollum had 20 points in the first meeting with the Thunder in December 17, but the Blazers still got blown out in that contest, 106-90.
All signs seem to be pointing to another disappointing loss for Portland, as the team has lost four of its last five games overall (SU/ATS). On the flipside, you can pretty much count on Sunday’s contest to be a shootout instead, as the total went over on four occasions during that stretch.
Writer’s Prediction
The Thunder hand the Blazers their fourth-straight defeat in emphatic fashion, 116-95.
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