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Game: Oklahoma City Thunder vs Portland Trail Blazers
Time: 7PM CST
Location: Chesapeake Arena, OKC
Broadcast: FSOK
Counterpart: Blazers Edge
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Update
Dennis Schroder is also listed as out tonight for personal reasons:
Donovan was asked if the Dennis Schroder personal matter would be a prolonged situation a la Alex Abrines. Donovan didn't provide any insight into if Schroder would miss any games beyond tonight. Thunder has one more game (at New Orleans on Thursday) before the All-Star break.
— Erik Horne (@ErikHorneOK) February 11, 2019
The Thunder are down to 9 rotation players tonight, which means Ray Felton, who has not seen meaningful minutes since OKC’s loss to Dallas on 12/30/18, will be backing up Westbrook.
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The Thunder are back in action tonight in the aftermath of an epic comeback win over the Houston Rockets over the weekend. The Thunder have made a significant push after stumbling a bit during the beginning of 2019, creating some separation between themselves and both the Blazers and Rockets in the standings. Furthermore, they now trail the Nuggets by only a single game, and with 2 more wins this week, OKC could potentially find themselves in a virtual tie for 2nd place heading into the All-Star break (but Denver has still beaten the Thunder twice this season).
The Blazers were in action yesterday, dropping a gut-punch game to the Mavericks. In a contest where Portland looked to be in control after 3 quarters, they went over 10 minutes without a field goal in the 4th and managed only 9 total points.
Portland’s ending, combined with the back-to-back affair tonight against OKC, points toward a game strategy of a reliance on defense to make the Blazers work. Over the course of 4 quarters, if OKC can wear them down, and in particular Jusuf Nurkic, who has pummeled OKC on the interior, the Thunder have a good shot at winning.
Of particular note — the Thunder will be shorthanded tonight. Not only has Alex Abrines been officially released, Jerami Grant will be out of action as well:
Jerami Grant (ankle sprain) is listed as out for tomorrow’s game against the Blazers. As always, subject to change.
— Royce Young (@royceyoung) February 11, 2019
The big question tonight will be who Donovan decides to run in Grant’s place. Patrick Patterson seems to be the most obvious choice, as 2Pat has found some consistency after struggling early on. In addition, if OKC goes small they could stick Abdel Nader or even Deonte Burton at the 3 while shifting Paul George to the 4. Donovan will need to assess how OKC is defending Portland’s guard play early on and, if need be, make changes quickly before Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum get hot shooting the ball.
In the end, the game will largely hinge on OKC’s ability to defend the high pick and roll, something they have struggled with as of late and which the Blazers are well-equipped to capitalize on, as Nurkic is a good screener who can either roll and post up, or fade to the perimeter and pull Adams away from the rim. Russell Westbrook, Terrance Ferguson, and George will have their hands full.
Personal favor — it would be great if OKC didn’t fall behind by 20 in the first half this time out.
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