Thunder vs Blazers: Pregame Primer
vs.
Trail Blazers (22-7, 10-5 road) vs. Thunder (13-15, 7-6 home)
TV: FS Oklahoma
Stream: Click here
Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1 FM, 640 AM, 1300 AM The Buzz Tulsa)
Time: 7:00 CT
Offensive Rating: Thunder – 103.8 (23rd), Blazers – 108.8 (10th)
Defensive Rating: Thunder – 102.3 (4th), Blazers – 101.8 (3rd)
After falling once again to the New Orleans Pelicans, the Thunder will be without Kevin Durant for the third game in a row tonight against Portland. Durant is still listed as day-to-day and could play on Christmas day against the Spurs. This will be the second time the Thunder plays the Blazers without Durant — the first coming on opening night.
The Blazers are facing some recent injury news of their own. Center Robin Lopez is recovering from a broken hand and will be out for a few more weeks. Nicolas Batum will miss tonight’s game with a sprained wrist, and All-Star forward Lamarcus Aldridge missed last night’s game against Houston with a respiratory illness and is questionable for tonight’s game.
The Matchup
If Aldridge can’t go tonight, huge advantage Oklahoma City. Joel Freeland, Thomas Robinson and Kris Kaman have done an admirable job replacing Portland’s injured front line, but with such a thin bench to begin the lack of LMA tonight would be a big blow.
In the first game of the season Russell Westbrook lit up the Moda Center for 38 points and six assists, while Damian Lillard was held to just 10 points on 3-10 shooting in 30 minutes. Aldridge went for 27 and Batum added 16. The Thunder were without KD, Reggie Jackson, Jeremy Lamb and Anthony Morrow that night as well. Lance Thomas was the Thunder’s second leading scorer with 14, and was a team-worst -25 for the game.
Tonight the Thunder has a lot more firepower to throw at a Blazers defense that is much improved from a year ago. Reggie Jackson has been great off the bench in the last couple games with Durant out, and tonight his ability to score and get the bench unit in a rhythm could push the Thunder to a much-needed win. Anthony Morrow continues to be a real threat from beyond the arc, but a lot of it is predicated on Jackson or Lamb getting into the lane. If Jackson can exploit Steve Blake off the bench, Morrow and Lamb could feast on the perimeter.
Pretty solid outing for Perry Jones on Sunday. Brooks seemed confused about how to use Jones down the stretch when New Orleans closed with the Asik-Davis-Anderson front line, but overall (12 points, 4 boards and a +6) it was a nice bounce-back game. He’ll likely start again tonight and will see Wesley Matthews or Joel Freeland depending on if Portland adds another guard to the starting group in place of Batum. Jones has shown good stuff in the low post against smaller guys, and tonight he’ll have another advantage down low if the Thunder look for it.
A lot has been made of Westbrook’s game on Sunday night, closing with a not-so-great stretch in the loss. When I read the quote, “When we won eight in a row, nobody said nothing about me not passing. So I don’t want to hear it now.” I immediately secured my seat for this game. Russ is an animal, an F-5, a literal force of nature — he’s going to come out firing tonight, not because of Sunday or because of the media scrutiny, but because it’s in his nature to just keep coming. He literally can’t help himself; it’s who he is. Buckle up.
Sunday’s COTN: “We’re 8-2 in the last 10 games. 5th best in the league. Stop whining. Everything will be okay” – @Chandler Bing
Wait, is that perspective? Get out of here with your stats and reasoning…
Tip at 7. Go Russ and friends.
