NBA Odds: Trail Blazers (even)
The Oklahoma City Thunder (32-25) look to extend their seven-game winning streak when they match up with the Portland Trail Blazers (37-19) at the Moda Center. The game gets underway at 10:30 pm ET on Friday, Feb. 27 and will air on ESPN, FSN-OK and CSN-NW.
The Trail Blazers were victorious over the Spurs 111-95 on Wednesday. Wesley Matthews was the game’s high scorer with 31 points on 11-for-18 shooting. The Thunder, meanwhile, are coming off a 105-92 win over the Pacers on Tuesday. Serge Ibaka played well, posting 23 points and 10 rebounds to claim his 16th double-double of the season.
Ibaka has been on a tear over the last five games for the Thunder, averaging 17.4 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 3.4 blocks.
The Trail Blazers have won both contests against the Thunder this season, including a 115-111 victory in their last matchup. Damian Lillard put up 40 points and 11 assists.
Oddsmakers have deemed this game an even matchup and the Over/Under (O/U) is presently unavailable. The Trail Blazers enter the game with records of 37-19 Straight Up (SU) and 28-27-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They have a record of 7-2 SU and 4-4-1 ATS when playing their division. The Trail Blazers are an impressive three-point shooting team with 10.1 made per game, one of the highest marks in the NBA. As for the Portland defense, teams routinely struggle to score points against the Trail Blazers, who allow a league-low 93.3 points per home game. Opposing offenses have been stifled by the Trail Blazers, allowing a field goal percentage of only .432. Oklahoma City has a habit of getting in foul trouble (22.2 fouls per game), so expect the Trail Blazers to get a number of opportunities from the free throw line.
On the other side, Oklahoma City has a SU record of 32-25 and an ATS record of 28-27-2. Oklahoma City has done particularly well ATS over its past ten matchups, going 8-2. During the last 10 games, they averaged PPG, above their 101.3 PPG season average. Oklahoma City is the best rebounding teams in the NBA. The Thunder average a league-leading 47.4 rebounds per game. Switching gears to Oklahoma City’s defense, teams seem to consistently miss shots against the Thunder, who are the second-best team in the league in terms of opponent field goal percentage allowed at .427. The Thunder have established a reputation of cleaning up the defensive glass with an NBA-best 35.1 defensive rebounds per game.
Portland won the last meeting this season between these two teams, but the Thunder still lead the head-to-head record over the last 10, 6-4 SU. Additionally, the Thunder lead the matchup ATS with a record of 5-4-1. Portland and Oklahoma City each held the edge in three key areas (field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers) once in their last 10 meetings.
Predictions: SU Winner – POR, ATS Winner – POR
Notes
Portland scores an average of 102.1 points per game (ranked ninth). Oklahoma City ranks 11th in points allowed per game with 98.5.
On average, Portland scores 101.9 points per home game (ranked 15th). Oklahoma City ranks 18th in points allowed per road game with 101.3.
When allowing fewer than 100 points, the Trail Blazers are 29-7 on the season. When the Thunder score fewer than 100, they are an underachieving 6-18.
When the Portland Trail Blazers allow at least 100 points they are 8-12, while the Oklahoma City Thunder are 26-7 when they register triple digits.
The Trail Blazers have an offensive rating of 104.4 (ranked 10th). The Thunder rank seventh for their defensive rating of 100.2.
The Oklahoma City Thunder average 98.3 possessions per game and 1.031 points per possession. The Portland Trail Blazers earn fewer possessions with 97.8, but they score more points with 1.044.
Oklahoma City has an average effective field goal percentage of 48.8%. Portland is a subpar 9-14 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
Portland makes an average of 22.2 assists per game (ranked ninth), while Oklahoma City makes 20.6 assists per game (ranked 24th).
Oklahoma City ranks near the top of the league in blocking at second (6.1 blocks per game). Portland is ranked ninth, with 5.0 blocks per game.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are the NBA’s best defensive rebounding team. The Portland Trail Blazers rank 16th in offensive rebounding.
Oklahoma City makes an average of 7.3 steals per game. Portland has a solid 24-15 record when it allows at least 7 steals.
