The Oklahoma City Thunder are in a rebuilding year, and their season has gotten off to a rocky start. Hosting Western Conference finalist Portland on Wednesday night, the Thunder are small home underdogs, but the best play for bettors may actually revolve around the total.
- Portland Trail Blazers vs Oklahoma City Thunder (Matchup Report)
- Date/Time: October 30, 8 p.m. ET
- TV Coverage: NBC Sports NorthWest, Fox Sports Oklahoma
- Sportsbook Odds: Portland -1 | O/U 223 (Line History)
Sportsbook Odds Analysis
Oklahoma City has lost three straight and is a home dog in what is essentially a pick’em game. The total opened at a modest 223 – while Portland is offensively explosive, Oklahoma City has been equally more defensive-minded and low-scoring.
Portland News & Notes
Wednesday marks the final leg of a four-game road trip for the Trail Blazers, who won the first two contests before losing Monday against San Antonio.
Portland is led by its dynamic backcourt duo of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, who both average 37 minutes and combine for 54.1 points per contest. But the big news in the Blazers’ early season has been the play of center Hassan Whiteside.
Whiteside was acquired via trade in the offseason to fill in for the injured Jusuf Nurkic. He’s averaging 13 points and 12.3 rebounds per game, while shooting a career-high 83 percent on free throws. His 23.04 Player Efficiency Rating is third on the team, and he’s providing a much-needed low-post presence for a team that is stocked full of talented wings.
Oklahoma City News & Notes
After trading away Russell Westbrook and Paul George in the offseason, the Thunder were signaling that they are in rebuilding mode. They’ve lost three of their first four games, with the primary culprit being a lack of firepower.
Oklahoma City is 26th in the league in scoring, averaging exactly 100 points per game. The Thunder lack offensive depth, but they are getting incredible performances from the new face of the franchise, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
After a strong rookie season, Gilgeous-Alexander was the centerpiece for Oklahoma City’s return in the Paul George trade. He is averaging 23.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists so far for the Thunder, and is looking like a future all-star for years to come.
Until Gilgeous-Alexander gets more help – the Thunder are getting minimal production from their bench – we can expect him to continue to fill the stat sheet, but his team won’t be filling the win column.
Betting Pick: Blazers -1
The Blazers have the advantage in the backcourt, and Whiteside’s strong play gives them an advantage up front too. I’ll go with Portland to cover.
- Portland is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 road games.
- The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Oklahoma City’s last 5 home games.
- Portland is 3-6 ATS in its last 9 games against Oklahoma City.
