Pregame 37: Thunder vs. Trailblazers

         vs. 

Where: Portland, Oregon - Rose Garden

When: January 13 @ 8 PM CST

TV: Fox Sports Southwest (Cox 37, HD 722; Tulsa Cox 27; DirectTV 679; UVerse 754) 

Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1 FM, 640 AM)

Stream: Click Here

Oklahoma City heads to Portland tonight to face off with the up-and-coming Trail Blazers for second time this season.

In the last match-up between these two teams, Oklahoma City handily put down Portland for their very first win of the season following the heartbreaking loss to the Spurs in the season opener. With the team in disarray from the fresh wound of the James Harden trade, Westbrook rose to the challenge and put the Trail Blazers away with a 32-point, 6-assist, 5-rebound performance. Kevin Durant destroyed the boards with 17 rebounds and in only his second game with the Thunder, Kevin Martin was a perfect 3 for 3 from the arch and put in 19 points to cushion the win for OKC.

35 games later, Portland faces Oklahoma City on a collision course for more than just a chance in the Western Conference playoffs. The Trail Blazers have a 20-16 record under their belt with impressive wins vs. Miami, San Antonio, and @ Memphis. Break-out players such as Nicolas Batum, Wesley Matthews, and J.J. Hickson are starting to hit their stride at the right time. Damien Lillard is an early ROY, or Rookie of the Year, candidate. Lamarcus Aldrige is averaging more in every statistic except field goal % and still has an outside chance as an All-star selection. However, the Trail Blazers lack of a bench can hinder their chances against teams with more depth, such as the Thunder. With an outside chance at the 6th or even 5th seed in the Western Conference, barring injuries and with the help of losses from Golden state, Portland has a legitimate chance to make it to the playoffs and a slim, if not decent, chance at advancing past the second round.

Oklahoma City comes into this game tonight after an absolute thwacking to flailing Los Angeles Lakers. The Thunder, facing Portland, has a huge advantage that they don't have over many teams in the Western Conference. There is no real defensive stopper for the Best Scorer EVER, Kevin Durant. Since the Trail Blazers are rarely known for their lock down defensive, barring some miracle defensive intensity, they will have a hard time defending the possible future league MVP. Unless the usual scorers for Portland go unconscious and the bench decides to produce, the Thunder will win tonight's game, most likely in a wire-to-wire close game.

Prediction: Thunder 102, Portland 97

Things to Remember

• No Air Congo. The Oklahoma City power forward came out of the game against the Lakers with a chest contusion, which is actually no more than a chest bruise. Although it must be decently painful to keep Ibaka out of tonight's game, look at this as no more than caution by the Thunder staff. 
• Keep Lillard In Check. Damien Lillard, the star rookie point guard for the Trail Blazers, is having a great rookie season. Barring injury, Lillard is a lock for the Rookie of the Year award. In order for the Thunder to secure the win tonight, Oklahoma City will have to keep track of Lillard, cut off his passing lanes, and remind him that he is in fact still a rookie. 
• Bench Production. The Thunder live and die with the production of their bench, or the lack thereof. Production from the bench is usually the difference between a blowout win and a close win/loss. If Kevin Martin or another one of the bench players cannot produce for OKC tonight, look for this game to be much tougher for the league's best team. 

Thunder Up!