Portland Trail Blazers vs Oklahoma City Thunder Prediction, 12/21/2022 Preview and Pick

Game: Portland Trail Blazers vs Oklahoma City Thunder

Date: Wednesday, December 21, 2022

Location: Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, OK

TV: Bally Sports Oklahoma

The Oklahoma City Thunder will go up against the Portland Trail Blazers at Paycom Center on Wednesday.

The Trail Blazers faced the Thunder and walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 123-121 in their last game. Portland ended the contest having earned a 50.0% field goal percentage (44 out of 88) and made 16 of their 37 shots from beyond the perimeter. When they shot from the free throw line, the Trail Blazers knocked down 17 of their 21 shots for a percentage of 81.0%. In regard to grabbing boards, they collected 45 with 14 of them being on the offensive end. They also doled out 26 dimes in the matchup in addition to forcing 10 turnovers and earning 5 steals. In regard to defending, Portland let their opponent shoot 45.5% from the field on 40 of 88 shooting. Oklahoma City distributed 20 dimes and had 7 steals in the matchup. Additionally, Oklahoma City grabbed 39 rebounds (11 offensive, 28 defensive) and got 2 blocks. Oklahoma City finished the game shooting 86.5% when shooting free throws by knocking down 32 of 37 attempts. They also made 11 out of their 31 tries from beyond the arc. In regard to personal fouls, the Trail Blazers finished with 28 while the Thunder accounted for 21 personal fouls.

Damian Lillard is someone who came through in this contest. Lillard ended up shooting 52.9% from the field and distributed 6 assists. He played 39 mins played and also collected 3 boards. He finished with 28 points on 9 out of 17 shooting.

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Portland comes into this matchup with a win-loss mark of 17-14 on the season. They turn it over 15.2 times per game and as a squad they are committing 20.2 personal fouls per contest. As a unit, Portland is pulling down 43.1 boards per contest and has racked up 745 dimes for the season, which has them ranked 17th in the league in terms of passing. The Trail Blazers are hitting 38.9% from downtown (400 of 1,027) and 77.5% from the free throw line. They average 112.6 pts per game (18th in the NBA) while hitting 47.7% from the field.

On the defensive end of the court, the Trail Blazers have forced 13.7 turnovers per contest and they draw 21.5 fouls. They surrender 35.7% from beyond the arc and they are ranked 11th in the league in opponents PPG (112.1). The Trail Blazers are allowing a shooting percentage of 47.3% (1,281 of 2,708) and they surrender 41.6 boards per game as a squad. They rank 24th in the NBA in allowing assists with 793 conceded for the year.

When they last stepped on the court, the Thunder walked away with a victory by a final of 123-121 against the Trail Blazers. In regard to attacking the glass, Oklahoma City permitted Portland to get 45 in total (14 on the offensive glass). They finished 43.2% from three-point range by going 16 out of 37 and finished the game at 17 of 21 from the charity stripe (81.0%). The Thunder allowed the Trail Blazers to knock down 44 of their 88 attempts from the floor which had them sitting at 50.0% for the contest. At the conclusion of this game, the Thunder ended up going 40 for 88 from the field which had them shooting 45.5%. When it comes to shots from downtown, Oklahoma City knocked down 11 out of their 31 attempts (35.5%). They were able to knock down 32 of those for a clip of 86.5%. The Trail Blazers were called for 28 personal fouls in the matchup which got the Thunder to the free throw line for 37 shots. They coughed it up 10 times, while getting 7 steals in this matchup. The Thunder collected 28 defensive rebounds and 11 offensive boards for a total of 39 for the game.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ended up having an impact for the Thunder for the contest. He knocked down 10 of 24 in this game for a field goal rate of 41.7%, and added 2 rebounds. Gilgeous-Alexander tallied 35 points in his 36 mins on the hardwood and added 6 assists for the matchup.

Oklahoma City has a mark of 13-18 on the campaign. The Thunder have committed 21.6 fouls per contest and they go 79.6% from the free throw line. They are earning an assist 24.4 times per contest (18th in the NBA) and they are turning it over 14.3 times per game. Oklahoma City has accounted for 3,582 pts for the year (115.5 per game) and they collect 44.7 rebounds per game. On the offensive side of the court, the Thunder are connecting on 46.0% from the floor, which ranks 22nd in the NBA.

The Thunder on defense are ranked 27th in basketball in points allowed per game with 117.1. They are forcing their opponents into 16.8 TO's every game and have allowed teams to shoot 46.5% from the field (11th in the NBA). The Oklahoma City defense surrenders 36.5% on shots from behind the 3-point line (409 of 1,121) and their opponents are knocking down 78.2% of their free throw attempts. They surrender 24.5 dimes and 48.4 boards per game, which is ranked 11th and 30th in basketball.

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Oklahoma City

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