Portland and Oklahoma City were tied at halftime Tuesday. By the start of the fourth, the Blazers led by 17. Damian Lillard’s threes made that swing memorable, but Deni Avdija’s eight assists and Donovan Clingan’s 13 rebounds give Portland something else to build on when the teams meet again Wednesday.
Portland has more to build on than Lillard’s threes
Oklahoma City took a 69–67 lead on a Jared McCain three. Lillard answered from deep, then hit consecutive threes to stretch Portland’s lead to eight and capped the third quarter with a shot from near midcourt. He finished with 25 in Portland’s 123–103 win. Avdija added 24. His passing gives Portland another way to get a good shot when the Thunder run Lillard off the line.
DraftKings had Oklahoma City favored by 1.5 for the rematch. Our team grades give the Thunder an A on defense, and they held Memphis to 97 and Washington to 75 during the four wins that preceded Tuesday’s loss. Getting Portland to miss is only the first job. Our team rebound projections put Portland at about 47 and Oklahoma City at 44. Those are total boards, so they don’t tell us how many extra shots Portland will get. Watch whether Oklahoma City can box out Clingan and end the possession after forcing a miss.
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How a closer fourth quarter could change the scoring
Tuesday’s 226 combined points came in just below that game’s 226.5 total and sit just above the 225.5 DraftKings posted for the rematch. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 26 on 8-of-22 shooting and sat out the fourth. If Wednesday stays close, he could get more time to lift Oklahoma City’s scoring. But if a closer game comes from the Thunder taking away Portland’s clean looks, those extra minutes could simply shift where the points come from. Watch whether the Thunder are creating better shots of their own or just making it harder for Portland to score.
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