The Portland Trail Blazers will face the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday at Paycom Center Arena. This will be the third meeting between the teams this season, with the Thunder winning the first two by wide margins. The Blazers were dominated in both games on November 19 and January 11, respectively. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 28 points, three rebounds and four assists in the first matchup. The second meeting was even more one-sided. The Thunder won 139-77, their largest margin of victory so far this season. It was also the fifth-largest margin victory in NBA history.
Preview
The Portland Trail Blazers are coming off their second defeat in a row and 30th of the season. They have won only three of their last 10 games and are in the second game of a four-city road trip. Meanwhile, the Thunder are proving to be one of the best teams this season, as they are in second place in the Western Conference. They defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 102-97 on Saturday.
Starting lineup
The Portland Trail Blazers have three players on the injury report, including Shaedon Sharpe. Their likely starting lineup for the upcoming game will include Malcolm, Brogdon, Anfernee Simons, Jerami Grant, Jabari Walker and DeAndre Ayton. On the other hand, the Thunder have only one player on their injury report and that is Olivier Sarr. Their likely starting lineup is expected to be Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddy, Luguentz Dort, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren.
Betting tips
Shai Giligeous-Alexander has an over/under of 30.5 points, down from his season average of 31.1 points per game. It will be safer to bet on him, as the Thunder can beat the Portland Trail Blazers again.
Jerami Grant is averaging 21.7 points per game this season, which is more than his over/under of 19.5 points against the Thunder. He is favored to move down because he won’t get much playing time once the lead is gone.
Chet Holmgren is favored to go under 2.5 blocks against the Blazers. He is averaging 2.5 blocks per game this season and has recorded at least three blocks in two of his last five games.
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Prediction
The Oklahoma City Thunder are favorites to defeat the Portland Blazers in the upcoming contest. The first two encounters of the season between the two teams were not good for the Blazers, so their chances of winning are very slim. Oddsmakers are predicting the Thunder will win and cover the spread. The total is expected to go below 235.5 points.
