OKC Thunder travel to Portland looking to avenge the previous meeting

The OKC Thunder travel to Portland for the first game of their longest road trip of the season, looking to avenge the last loss to the Trail Blazers.

After splitting the last two-game homestand against the Indiana Pacers and the Minnesota Timberwolves, the OKC Thunder hit the road on their longest trip of the season. The club will make stops in Portland, Utah, and Sacramento before playing the final game in Denver.

Being weaker on the road means they need to start off well against the surging Portland Trail Blazers. They have won four games out of their last six, including beating the Thunder 136-119 at Chesapeake Energy Arena.

Unfortunately, Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum had vintage nights. Hassan Whiteside did something which has not happened in a while, he was better than Steven Adams in the battle of the centers.

Carmelo Anthony was unstoppable on the night too, showing why he was worth the risk for the Blazers. He scored 19 points on 9-of-11 shooting, effectively shooting the Thunder out of the game.

For the OKC Thunder, they welcome back Deonte Burton off his team imposed a one-game suspension for an altercation in the locker room. This and Terrance Ferguson being out led to the first Luguentz Dort sighting of the season.

Billy Donovan had the confidence to leave him on the court during a critical defensive play. The result, he dove on the floor, desperate for the ball and got the critical turnover with seconds to spare. He even had the wits about him to call a timeout while on the floor. This type of play will get him more NBA game time.

Adams was again a beast against the Timberwolves and will be looking to avenge being outplayed by Whiteside. Adams is showing more lift and better movement every game he plays.

The Blazers have had the Thunder’s measure since they won the first-round playoff series last season. It will be a huge confidence boost if the Thunder can pull a win out of this road game.