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After watching the Portland Trail Blazers No. 3 take the lead 2-0 in the first round, Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder No. 6 did their best to make things interesting once again before the two teams do not speak Sunday. night.
After an unusually slow start on the floor, Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard caught fire in the second half and led his team to a well-deserved victory that allowed them to climb 3-1 in the best-of-seven series between Western Conference. title contenders.
Here's all you need to know about this first-round match between the Trail Blazers and the Thunder.
No. 3 Portland Trail Blazers vs No. 6 Oklahoma City Thunder
How to watch Match 5
- Date: Tuesday, April 23
- Time: 22:30. AND
- Location: Moda Center – Portland, Oregon
- Live Score: GameTracker
- TV channel: TNT
- Streaming Online: fuboTV (try it for free)
- chances: N / A
TV Lists
All games will be broadcast on ESPN, ABC, TNT and NBA TV during the playoffs. Games on TNT and NBA TV can be streamed via fuboTV (try it for free).
Playoff Schedule, Results (Blazers in Series 2-1)
* All times is
- Game 1 (at the POR): Blazers 104, Thunder 99 (Box Score)
- Part 2 (at POR): Trail Blazers 114, Thunder 94 (Box Score)
- Game 3 (at OKC): Thunder 120, Trail Blazers 108 (Box Score)
- Game 4 (at OKC): Trail Blazers 111, Thunder 98 (Box Score)
- Game 5 (POR): Tuesday, April 23 at 22:30. – TV: TNT
- Game 6 * (at OKC): Thursday 25 April, to be determined – TV: To be determined
- Game 7 * (POR): Saturday, April 27, to be determined – TV: To be determined
*If necessary
Ratings and Analysis
Check out the Sportsline NBA Selection Sheet for all your daily odds.
storylines
Thunder: Oklahoma City was one of the most talented teams in the Western Conference for most of the season, losing four consecutive games by the end of the year and falling in the standings. However, it was a team that took the necessary steps last summer with the removal of Carmelo Anthony and the addition of Dennis Schroder and Nerlens Noel to the bench. The Thunder has the depth to make a playoff race and could easily thwart Trail Blazers.
Trail Blazers: Portland definitely had a huge potential at the end of the year before losing Jusuf Nurkic for the rest of the season. Now the Trail Blazers will have to rely on the stellar backs of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum to carry the pointer load as they have always done in the past. The battle in the courts could certainly be a huge disadvantage for Trail Blazers.
Matchups to watch
1. Paul George / Russell Westbrook: The Thunder will go as far as their dynamic duo of Paul George and Russell Westbrook will lead them. Oklahoma City won a huge victory when the franchise was able to sign George again last summer. In addition, Westbrook has just finished the season with a triple-double for the third season in a row. If these two players play at their usual high level, the sky is the limit for Oklahoma City.
2. Battle of the frontcours: The Trail Blazers were a very dangerous team throughout the regular season, but suffered a potentially fatal blow at the end of the year. The Nurkic Center suffered a leg injury ending the season and will be away for several months. Fortunately, Portland had Enes Kanter sign after Kanter was bought by the New York Knicks late in the season. Since joining the team, Kanter has been incredibly productive with an average of 13.7 points, 9.8 rebounds and 1.7 assists, while shooting 54.9%. If Kanter manages to make the most of his former teammate Steven Adams, this series could certainly be very interesting.
3. Repetition of last season for blazers: Portland was the third seed in the playoffs last year and was swept by another No. 6 seed in the New Orleans Pelicans. The Trail Blazers were very disappointing despite their three-digit loss in four of the four games. It is safe to say that Damian Lillard will have to play at an extremely high level and that McCollum will have to prosper by shooting from the perimeter. It will be at least a tough battle.
Original series prediction, choice
Thunder on six: This is certainly one of the most intriguing clashes of the first round of the playoffs. The Thunder spent most of the regular season in one of the top four teams in the Western Conference before going through a difficult period in the final month of the regular season.
The Blazers were able to secure the home advantage in the first round after overtaking the Houston Rockets on the final night of the season. However, Portland did the same thing last season and was swept away in the first round.
The Thunder has a ton of firepower and the Trail Blazers are going to be shorthanded without Jusuf Nurkic. In addition, C.J. McCollum is struggling with a knee injury and it is unclear if this will bother him throughout the series. There is just too much talent on Thunder's list of players and that could make all the difference in the series.
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