Portland Trail Blazers vs Oklahoma City Thunder Prediction: Thunder should win this one

The NBA Season is a long and hard grind. Each team plays 82 games and thus there are a lot of times when a team ends up playing during back-to-back nights. However, the season goes like a breeze and we find ourselves in the Postseason stage. So here we are, just a couple of weeks away from the Postseason. Will the Oklahoma City Thunder be there as they face the Portland Trail Blazers in a crucial match-up?

The Trail Blazers suffered yet another embarrassing loss as they lost 96:124 against the Bulls in a game where they were without Damian Lillard alongside second-options Jerami Grant and Anfernee Simons. It seems like the Trail Blazers are shutting down their major players as we are heading to the end. Damian Lillard, Jereami Grant, Jusuf Nurkic, and Anfernee Simons have been listed as out and that may be the case for the rest of the games.

And that is understandable, Portland has lost six of its last seven games, and if we look beyond that, 12 losses in the last 16 games. They haven’t won three in a row since early February and because of that, they have been relegated to just 32 wins and 41 losses because of which their Play-in tournament hopes have taken a hit. Dame had another fantastic season, averaging over 20 whereas Simons and Grant averaged over 20 but the team just couldn’t find a winning formula yet again.

The Thunder enters the game after losing 111:116 against the Lakers despite a 27 points and 17 rebounds outburst by Josh Giddey. The Thunder have lost two in a row and that has hurt them a lot. They sit at 38 losses and 36 wins and although they are tenth in the standings, a couple of more losses can open avenues for squads like Mavs and various others in the Play-in picture. This is high time for an overachieving Thunder squad if they want a Play-in berth.

Shai has been leading the charge as expected and the offense around him improved considerably compared to last season. Giddey has improved his scoring to add to an already bloated playmaking and rebounding game. Dort provides immaculate defense but his offense has been wayward. Jaylen Williams has been a more reliable option and the rookie has been instrumental in the Thunder run. Can these young stars propel the team to the Play-in tournament?

• Trail Blazers: OUT: Jusuf Nurkic, Jerami Grant, Damian Lillard, Anfernee Simons, Justice Winslow, Ibou Badji;
• Thunder: OUT: Kenrich Williams, Chet Holmgren.

• Expected Leading Scorers: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander(32+ Point), Shaedon Sharpe(23+ Points);
• Expected Leading Rebounders: Josh Giddey(9-12 Rebounds), Drew Eubanks(7-9 Rebounds);
• Expected Leading Playmakers: Josh Giddey(6-9 Assists), Keon Johnson(5-7 Assists).

The Trail Blazers are playing with a second-string or arguably a third-string unit. The team hasn’t produced the desired even with their first-string unit so the bar looks low here. They face a Thunder squad that has a lot at stake and a win can help their cause big-time. This is Thunder’s game to lose and they should get a big win here. I predict a scoreline of 131:101 in favor of the Thunder.