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The Oklahoma City Thunder and Portland Trail Blazers go at it again on Tuesday night at the Moda Center in Portland for Game 2 of their first round playoff series.
Poor Start
The Oklahoma City Thunder got off to a poor start and allowed the Portland Trail Blazers to take a 14-point lead at the end of the first quarter. The Thunder held the Blazers to just 15 in the second quarter but they couldn’t dig themselves out of that first quarter hole especially since they shot just 5-33 from behind the three point line and just 37-93 from the field.
Paul George had 26 points and 10 rebounds but he shot just 8-24 from the floor for OKC. Russell Westbrook had a triple double with 24 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists while Steven Adams had 17 points and 9 rebounds for the Thunder. Dennis Schroeder also scored 11 points in the game but shot just 5-17 in a losing effort.
Thunder
+110
Trail Blazers
-130
Odds from betonline.ag as of 4/16/19
End of Losing Streak
Portland Trail Blazers entered this game having lost 10 straight first round playoff games. They were a bit worried because Jusuf Nurkic is out and C.J. McCollum ass struggling since he returned from injury. But McCollum looked fine with 24 points although he shot just 9-24 from the floor. But Enes Kanter had the game of his life when he scored 20 points and grabbed a mammoth 18 rebounds.
Of course, Damian Lillard was in full control, knocking down three pointers from the parking lot. Lillard finished with 30 points on 9-21 shooting from the floor and 5-11 from behind the three point area. Farouq Aminu contributed 10 points while Seth Curry scored 8 points, both off the bench.
Who Wins?
Oklahoma City is 7-3 SU in their last 10 games played. The Thunder are 3-1 SU in their last four games played on the road. Portland is 8-2 SU in their last 10 games played and the Blazers are 4-0 SU in their last four home games. Head to head, the Blazers are 6-4 SU in their last 10 games played against the Thunder.
The Thunder had the chance to steal Game 1 but came up short because they allowed the Blazers to get off to a good start and take a big lead early on. They also shot just 5-33 from three ball so that’s not going to make it work either. Then Paul George also didn’t have a great game so those need to work better in Game 2.
Portland got the job done not only because of Damian Lillard but because Enes Kanter stepped up big time and C.J. McCollum looked fine after he was believed to be not yet 100% healthy after struggling since his return from injury. Of course, credit the Portland fans for being there and cheering on their team.
For as long as Kanter can carry the load and McCollum is scoring the needed points, the Blazers should have this one. Portland is tough to beat at home, really. They feed off their crowd and Lillard shoots fantastic at their home floor. I’m picking the Portland Trail Blazers to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 2 of their series,
Other Bets To Make
The Thunder are 6-4 ATS in their last 10 games played. Oklahoma City is 2-2 ATS in their last four games played on the road. The Blazers are 5-5 ATS in their last 10 games played. Portland is 2-2 ATS in their last four games played at home. Head to head, the Blazers are 6-4 ATS in their last 10 games versus the Thunder.
Thunder
+2 (-110)
Trail Blazers
-2 (-110)
Odds from betonline.ag as of 4/16/19
Oklahoma City is 4-1 ATS in their last five games following an ATS loss, 5-2 ATS in their last seven games when their opponent scores 100 or more points in their previous game, 5-2 ATS in their last seven Tuesday games and 4-1 ATS in their last five games overall. The Blazers are 2-8 ATS in their last 10 Tuesday games, 1-3-1 ATS in their last five games against an opponent with a winning SU record and 7-24-2 in their last 33 conference quarterfinals games played. Many underestimated Portland with Nurkic hurt but Enes Kanter stepped up and C.J. McCollum looked fine. The Blazers are tough to beat at home especially when Lillard gets the support from his teammates. Prediction: Blazers -2
The over is 5-4-1 in the Thunder’s last 10 games played. The Thunder have seen the total go over in three out of their last four games played on the road. The over is also 5-4-1 in Portland’s last 10 games played. The total has gone over in three out of the last four home games played by the Blazers. Head to head, the under is 6-4 in the last 10 meetings between these two teams.
Thunder
O 220 -110
Trail Blazers
U 220 -110
Odds from betonline.ag as of 4/16/19
The under is 4-1 in the last five games between these teams in Portland. The Thunder were 4th in the league in defensive efficiency while the Blazers were Top-15 in scoring defense during the regular season. Both teams have loaded offenses but this will come down to who plays better defense. These teams combined for just 203 points in Game 1 and I think 220 is too much to ask of them. Prediction: Under 220
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