OKC Thunder – Blazers Game 1 preview: grab a cupcake and let the journey begin!
OKC Thunder Starters:
Point Guard: Russell Westbrook
Shooting Guard: Terrance Ferguson
Small Forward: *Paul George
Power Forward: Jerami Grant
Center: Steven Adams
OKC Thunder Bench
Point Guard: Dennis Schroder, Raymond Felton
Shooting Guard: Hamidou Diallo, Deonte Burton
Small Forward: Abdel Nader
Power Forward: Markieff Morris, Patrick Patterson
Center: Nerlens Noel
Injury Notes:
- Clearly, the big question mark for the OKC Thunder is whether Paul George plays and if he does how healthy he is and perhaps most importantly how the shoulder(s) affects his shooting efficiency.
- Andre Roberson: OUT (patellar tendon)
Portland Trail Blazers Starters
Point Guard: Damian Lillard
Shooting Guard: CJ McCollum
Small Forward: Maurice Harkless
Power Forward: Al Farouq Aminu
Center: Enes Kanter
Portland Trail Blazers Bench
Point Guard: Seth Curry
Shooting Guard: Evan Turner, Anfernee Simons, Gary Trent Jr.
Small Forward: Jake Layman, Rodney Hood
Power Forward: Caleb Swanigan, Skal Labissiere
Center: Zach Collins, Meyers Leonard
Injury notes
- CJ McCollum will play but like George how effective he’ll be is an uncertainty given he just returned from dealing with a knee injury that kept him out of 10 games at season end.
- Jusuf Nurkic compound fractures to the fibula and tibia – out for remainder of season
Game Specifics:
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- Aleksej Pokusevski sidelined approximately 6 weeks with ankle injury
- Damian Lillard does not fit with the OKC Thunder
History:
Even Steven should be the phrase we consider when looking at these two squads. Last season the Blazers swept the OKC Thunder. This season the reverse happened with Portland falling four straight to the Thunder. The mirrored effect kicks in for the playoff and all-time meetings where the teams have each won 22 times against each other and have eight playoff victories each.
Odds: the oddsmakers give the edge to the Blazers via 3.5 points and an over-under of 225 points.
The Venue: Moda Center, Portland, Oregon
The Tip: 3:30 PM ET, (2:30 CT) Sunday, April 14, 2019
TV: ABC
Radio: Oklahoma City – WWLS 98.1FM OKC / 930AM (ESP)
Next. Thunder film room: defensive keys to shut down Blazers offense. dark
After the game, check back with Thunderous Intentions for the post-game player grades, and our key takeaways.