OKC Thunder: 3 keys to defeating the Blazers

OKC Thunder key no. 3 – Limiting familiar foes

Two prior Thunder players are making a difference for the Blazers in the absence of their two main big men.

I’m speaking of Enes Kanter and Carmelo Anthony. As John Schuhmann noted this week in his power rankings Kanter is leading the league in put-back points (4.2) while Melo is experiencing a renaissance of sorts.

"Now, Carmelo Anthony is enjoying a revival. Through Feb. 1, Anthony had an effective field goal percentage of 42.9%, the eighth-worst mark among 213 players with at least 100 field goal attempts at that point. But as the Blazers have won five of their last seven games, Anthony has averaged 18.6 points on an effective field goal percentage of 56.1%. He hit the game-winning free throw against Philly on Thursday."

While Kanter and Anthony have stepped up the Thunder are also recognizing the rise of their supplemental talents like Justin Jackson and Kenrich Williams who’ve each embraced the opportunity they are getting with so many players out injured. Note: check out a great article later this morning by Shontelle Matano on that group nicknamed “The Breakfast Club”.

The Blazers rank 29th defensively while the Thunder ranks 29th offensively. One side will take advantage and given how the Thunder played through these past four games if they bring the same energy to the court they’ll have a great shot of upsetting the Blazers.

All stats courtesy of basketball reference or NBA Stats.

Game specifics:

Records:

• Thunder: 11-15
• Blazers: 16-10

The Venue:  Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City

Tipoff:  8:00 PM ET  | 7:00 PM CT

TV: Fox Sports  Oklahoma | NBA League Pass

Radio: WWLS 98.1 FM OKC

Odds:

Injuries:

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• Aleksej Pokusevski sidelined approximately 6 weeks with ankle injury
• Damian Lillard does not fit with the OKC Thunder

OKC Thunder:

• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander sat out the last three games nursing a sprained knee and is listed on the injury report as day-to-day.
• Theo Maledon is undergoing the league’s health and safety protocols and is listed as day-to-day.
• George Hill underwent a procedure on his ailing thumb that will keep him off the court until March 9th.
• Trevor Ariza (personal) out indefinitely

Blazers:

• Rodney Hood missed the last two games with a foot injury and is questionable for Tuesday.
• Harry Giles suffered a calf injury in the last match
• CJ McCollum will be a minimum of four weeks after a fracture to his left foot. He’s missed the last 13 games and should be nearing a return but isn’t expected to play Tuesday.
•  Jusuf Nurkic is out between four to six weeks with a fractured wrist with an early March assumed return date.
• Zach Collins is out indefinitely after another surgery. This time the surgery was to repair a left medial malleolus stress fracture in his ankle. There is no time frame for his return.

The teams have played each other 241 times in regular-season history with the Thunder holding a 123-118 advantage. Last season the clubs played on four occasions with each team winning twice to split the season series. Earlier this season the clubs played on January 25th with the Thunder winning that match.

Enjoy the game and check back tomorrow for grades.