The Portland Trail Blazers are on the road for a matchup with the reigning NBA Champion Oklahoma City Thunder this evening. Portland is coming off of a win in its last game against the Golden State Warriors.
On the other side, the Thunder have won eight straight games before this matchup with their only loss on the season coming in their first matchup with the Blazers. Portland will be hard-tasked to come up with another win over the juggernaut Thunder, but anything can happen.
What you Need to Know
Portland Trail Blazers (7-9) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (16-1) – Sun. Nov 23rd – 4pm Pacific
How to watch via antenna or cable: See your options on the Rip City Television Network.
How to watch via streaming: BlazerVision in Oregon and Washington; League Pass everywhere else
Trail Blazers Injuries: Scoot Henderson, Damian Lillard, Matisse Thybulle, Blake Wesley, Jrue Holiday, Shaedon Sharpe (out); Robert Williams III, Donovan Clingan (questionable).
Thunder Injuries: Jalen Williams, Aaron Wiggins, Thomas Sorber, Nikola Topic, Kenrich Williams (out).
What to Watch For
Loss Number 2? Obviously the Thunder have been absolutely dominant so far this season with an incredible 16-1 start to the year. However, it was the Blazers early in the month who are the lone blemish on an otherwise perfect season. Now, I’m not amazing at math, but a 100% winning percentage against the rest of the NBA and a 0% winning percentage against Portland means the Blazers have their number and should take another win.
All joking aside, this matchup will see Portland without Shaedon Sharpe and Jrue Holiday who combined for 40 points, 12 rebounds and 4 steals in the first matchup. With already long odds against the best team in the NBA, those losses hurt more than most games. The Blazers will have their work cut out for them against a very deep OKC team.
Turnover Battle. Portland has made getting steals and running in transition part of its identity this season. They sit eighth in the NBA in steals per game with 9.2 and excel at getting fast break opportunities. However, the Thunder control the turnover battle at an elite level, sitting second in the league with just 12.5 turnovers per game and first in the NBA with 10.9 steals per game. If OKC is able to take care of the ball at their average rate while also forcing the Blazers into some mistakes, this game could get out of hand quick.
What Others Are Saying
Cody Burton of Oklahoma City Thunder on SI talked about center Isaiah Hartenstein’s incredible contributions so far this season.
Hartenstein has yet again been instrumental in the Thunder’s offensive game plan, being used primarily as a heavy screen-setter, deciding to roll with the defense or pop out to reset the offense or allow extra space for a drive. When he gets a paint touch, chances are a shot will go through the ring.
The eighth-year center is superb as a playmaker from the high post, consistently finding streaking cutters open in the paint, creating easy offense for OKC. As a roller, Hartenstein remains a viable option for any Thunder guard on drives towards the basket. His size makes the offense less mistake-prone, consistently having a strong option to throw an escape pass to.
