Oklahoma City Thunder vs Portland Trail Blazers Prediction and Betting Preview
SportsMemo content contributor Kyle Kargel gives his prediction on tonight’s Oklahoma City Thunder vs Portland Trail Blazers showdown on Tuesday, April 5. At the time of posting, the home Thunder have opened as an 4.5-point favorite over the road Trail Blazers, with the total sitting at 222 points.
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Tuesday, April 5 | NBA Betting Notes |
---|---|
Point Spread: | Oklahoma City Thunder -4.5 vs Portland Trail Blazers |
Total: | 222 Points |
Game Time: | 8:10pm ET / 5:10pm PT |
Arena: | Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, OK |
TV: | Bally Sports Southwest |
Oklahoma City Thunder vs Portland Trail Blazers Preview
Since winning four straight games from Feb 9 – Feb 16 the Portland Trail Blazers have gone 2-17 in an absolute free fall since they traded away C.J. McCollum. The season can’t end soon enough for them as they’re in the middle of a five game road trip.
Their NBA lineup has transformed into a glorified G-League lineup as the starting five they rolled out in their most recent loss against San Antonio didn’t feature a player drafted before 2020.
The Thunder have been playing somewhat better than the Blazers with their depleted lineup going 3-3 in their past six games but they did lose ten straight before that.
Are the Trail Blazers Tanking?
This is probably Portland’s best chance to win a game the rest of the season as their remaining games all come against Western Conference foes who are still playing for the playoffs or at least playoff positioning. So, that might give a little more incentives for these youngsters to play hard.
Rookie Keon Johnson has been the leading scorer for the Trail Blazers in the past two games while veteran guard Ben McLemore has been consistent off the bench averaging 13 points in March and he put up 28 points when these teams met last on March 28 in a 134-131 overtime loss.
The 28 points are impressive but when added that he shot 18 three pointers, it doesn’t seem as efficient. In three of the past four games, he’s shot double digit three point attempts.
If the Trail Blazers really want to win this game, it’ll have to be with their offense as they’re bottom three in the NBA in points allowed per game.
Thunder Showcase Young Talent
The Thunder were surprised by a triple double effort from center Aleksej Pokusevski putting up 17 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds.
In March he put up solid numbers overall averaging 12 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists per game. The last time these two met he was two rebounds away from a triple double.
Another breakout player to consider keeping an eye on is rookie Oliver Sarr who has averaged 16 points per game in his last four games.
Before the previous four games he only scored double digits once all season. Shooting guard Aaron Wiggins has improved his scoring as well over the season going from averaging 5.6 points per game in February to 12 points per game in March.
He also had 28 points the last time these two met but was more efficient than McLemore going 11-19 from the floor.
Oklahoma City Thunder vs Portland Trail Blazers Prediction
While Oklahoma City plays average defense it won’t be enough for the under total to hit and if Portland wants any revenge for the overtime loss a little over a week ago, their offense has to be on-point.
The Thunder can match the Trail Blazers offensive intensity (if they bring it) totaling this game over 222.
Prediction: Over 222
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🏀 What was your favorite moment of March Madness?
🏀 Use comment if your fav moment is not listed— John Ryan | WagerTalk | SportsMemo | Gambling_USA (@JohnRyanSports1) April 5, 2022
Oklahoma City Thunder vs Portland Trail Blazers Notes from GoldSheet
NBA Stat Sheet
Each day, WagerTalk handicapper Ralph Michaels puts together his NBA Stat Sheet, which offers a head-to-head comparison for how teams are performing in a number of key areas heading into a game. Check out Tuesday’s sheet, with notes on tonight’s Oklahoma City Thunder vs Portland Trail Blazers contest.
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