Portland Trail Blazers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder Preview

Portland Trail Blazers(6-12) vs.Oklahoma City Thunder(6-10)

November 27, 2019 - 7:00 p.m. PT
Blazers injuries:Zach Collins(out),Jusuf Nurkic(out), Gary Trent Jr. (probable)
Thunder injuries:Andre Roberson(out),Hamidou Diallo(out)
How to watch on TV:NBCSNW
How to stream:Blazer’s Edge Streaming Guide
Radio:620 AM
SBN Affiliate:Welcome to Loud City

的Portland Trail Blazers arrive home from a long road trip to face the Oklahoma City Thunder after a win over theChicago Bulls117-94.Carmelo Anthonymade his presence known with 25 points, andHassan Whitesidehad a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds.CJ McCollumchipped in 21 points.Damian Lillardfacilitated playmaking against the Bulls, racking up 12 assists.

的Oklahoma City Thunder come to Portland off a last-minute win against the depletedGolden State Warriors100-97. The victory marked the first road win for the Thunder this season.Chris Paulmanaged 20 points, whileDennis Schrodercame off the bench to contribute 22 points, and big manSteven Adamshad 10 rebounds alongside 10 points. The win also put an end to a three-game losing streak for the Thunder.

What to watch for

• Winning on the boards.Put simply: when the Blazers out-rebound their opponent, they have a greater chance to win. Taking advantage of the opportunity on the glass leads to second-chance points on offense, and it allows Portland to control the tempo on defense. The Blazers have had a hard time wrangling rebounds, but if that begins to change, it could be a clear tipping point for Portland.
• Ball movement.In the game against the Bulls, the ball movement began to click.Terry Stotts’ playbook isn’t so much a playbook but rather a system of reads and wrinkles. It has proved to be difficult for new players to ease into his system, yet the Blazers finally showed signs of life in that respect by running plays with several passes, andDamian Lillardmanaging 12 assists is certainly indicative of that. We’ll see if Portland can keep up its passing against the Thunder.
• Home advantage.的Thunder have struggled this season on the road, and admittedly, so have the Blazers. That said, it is the first timeCarmelo Anthonywill don a Blazers uniform on home court. There is no doubt that the crowd will bring energy and enthusiasm to welcome Melo to Rip City.

What they’re saying

Erik Horneof The Athletic discusses howShai Gilgeous-Alexanderis growing as a player this season:

As soon as Gilgeous-Alexander was anointed as the centerpiece of the Paul George trade, every move the Thunder made had to be viewed through the prism of his development. Games like Monday can help the seasoning of young players.

You could see Gilgeous-Alexander thinking — and overthinking — the game, penetrating deep into the Warriors’ defense and throwing passes into a crowd of arms. He passed up open 3-pointers to dribble into uncertain floaters and tough contests at the rim. He was 4-of-10 in the first half without a 3-point attempt — this coming from a 40.3 percent 3-point shooter. He didn’t take a 3-pointer all game.