Portland Trail Blazers v Oklahoma City Thunder – NBA Betting Preview and prediction
Oklahoma City Thunder had a disappointing night behind them when they lost to Celtics, which means they are currently 3-2 in the past 5 games. To add salt to the wound, they had an 18pt lead at the halftime, which they couldn’t hold on. Now they are headed to Moda Center, where they will face off against Portland Trail Blazers.
As mentioned, Oklahoma City Thunder are coming into this match after a bad defeat in front of their fans. They started the night very well, outscoring Boston by 13points in the 1st quarter, to which they added another 5 points before they headed to the lockerrooms. With 18 points lead, it seemed as Thunder are on a great way to secure their 5th win of the season, but that was not the case. By the end of the 3rd quarter, Thunder was only 4 points ahead, which means they were outscored by 14 points in one quarter alone. The last quarter continued in the same fashion, with Boston being a better side, shooting with 61.9% accuracy whereas Thunder only managed to hit 39.1% of their shots. This lead to Boston grabbing the lead and holding it till the end. Final score: 94:101.
Portland Trail Blazers are coming into this match after beating LA Lakers on Friday (113:101), which ended their two games losing streak against Raptors (85:99) and Jazz (112:103)(OT). The game itself was entertaining to watch. Portland got an early 16 point lead in the 1st quarter (41:25), which was surprising, taking into consideration they were shooting terribly at the start of the season. The 2nd quarter was in Lakers favour, who managed to almost close the gap but failed short of only 4 points. Heading into the 2nd half, Trail Blazers were still ahead at 66:62. The 3rd quarter was relatively close, with Lakers managing to take the lead at the start of the quarter, but failed to hold on to it. The 3rd quarter ended at (87:85) with Portland still ahead. It was a disappointing Friday night for the Thunder as they saw their 18 pt halftime lead over the Celtics dissipate into a 101-94 loss. On their home court, the Thunder were dealt a crushing blow as they were outscored 64-39 in the 2nd half. The Blazers ended their 2 game skid Thursday against the Lakers but had to do it in comeback fashion as they got all they could handle in a 113-110 win. The last quarter saw 7 lead changes, but in the end, Portland was slightly better, winning by 3 points.
Verdict & Prediction
We won’t call out a winner here because it could easily end in a close match. The problem with Portland I mentioned before was their poor shooting, but it seems as they have improved in that aspect, at least in their last fixture. So we can say they finally found their rhythm. Thunder on the other side will be eager to bounce back after a defeat like they suffered. As for Portland, the home atmosphere will help them to cope with Thunder. Expect a fast-paced game with plenty of scoring. I see no reason why both teams wouldn’t go over 100 point mark tonight.
Prediction: Over 208 points
Odds: 1.90 Pinnacle
Another NBA betting preview for tonight: New York Knicks v Indiana Pacers
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