Portland Trail Blazers prepare for first meeting with new look Thunder

The Portland Trail Blazers head into Oklahoma City Wednesday evening for their first matchup with the new look Thunder. It’s the first of four meetings with their division rival so it’s important the Blazers set the tone and assert their dominance.

Although the Thunder met the Portland Trail Blazers in the playoffs last year in what was an intense series, the fire these teams once had for one another has vanished. The Damian Lillard versus Russell Westbrook rivalry no longer stands within the division and Paul George no longer suits up in blue and orange.

That being said this Thunder roster still has talent that the Blazers need to prepare for. The Thunder have four main players who have been in control of the scoring duties and they have all been scorching hot from behind the arc. Chris Paul, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Dennis Schroder, and Danilo Gallinari have combined to shoot 41.4 percent from the 3-point line on 20 shot attempts per outing. This is a major concern heading to Oklahoma City on Wednesday for Portland, as their main issue has been defending the three-point line. Each night they’ve been getting torched from three.

Paul is still adjusting to his new team, he’s appeared a shell of his former self in his first few outings as a member of the Thunder. He’s averaged just 13.3 points per game while also struggling to facilitate, averaging only 3.3 assists per game.

The Trail Blazers will rely on their back court as usual. The only constant this season has been the knowledge that Lillard and CJ McCollum are going to get buckets. The star-studded back court pair have combined to average 54 points per game together and will need to continue to lead if team success is to be expected.

Sadly for the Trail Blazers, Zach Collins has officially been ruled out of Wednesday evening’s action with a dislocated left shoulder that he suffered late in the Dallas game. Collins’ absence could lead to issues inside the paint as Hassan Whiteside is foul prone and Steven Adams exerts all his energy on the offensive glass for the Thunder. The Trail Blazers were already short on big men prior to the Collins injury so the rotation has become really thin.

Keys to the game

• Defend the 3-point line with intensity, limit wide-open looks
• Keep Adams off the offensive glass, guards help to double-team him on box outs
• Hood needs to step up and fill his role as the third option on this ball club.

This Thunder team will be a test for the Portland Trail Blazers, but they should have the offensive firepower and team chemistry to pick up the win. In a tight western conference they can’t afford to drop any games against the weaker teams.