Portland Trail Blazers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder: Preview, injury report, and how to watch

One of the generation’s great “rivalries” of the past half-decade will add another chapter on Monday night, as the Portland Trail Blazers prepare to host the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The two teams are going in seemingly different directions, with Oklahoma City dropping five or their last six, and the Blazers entering as winners of six of their last eight. As the New York Knicks learned in last night’s 116-113 defeat, the only thing more dangerous than a Damian Lillard appearance is a Damian Lillard appearance with five days off.

The superstar point guard was extra spry on Sunday night, dealing out 39 points to the Knicks’ feisty, No. 1-ranked defense. He exercised every trick in the book to score his points, whilst also penetrating to hit corner shooters on that weak side.

Sunday was in some ways, the most fulfilling game of the 2020-21 season for teammates Derrick Jones Jr., Anfernee Simons, and Harry Giles III, too. Given the added confidence the Portland Trail Blazers have picked up without several of their stars, that could be problematic for the Thunder, who are also on the second night of a back-to-back.

The Portland Trail Blazers hope to become the fourth Western Conference team to get double-digit wins when they play the Thunder tonight. Here’s what you should know about that game.

This year’s Thunder unit have some exploitable flaws. Among those: they’ve struggled to score consistently (No. 30) in offensive rating despite the excellent Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, they’re susceptible to giving up big leads, and they’re among the NBA’s worst in terms of defending pick-and-rolls, a Lillard specialty.

So, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise if Lillard — donning a pair of Thunder-themed shoes to commemorate his 50-point Playoff game — looks all of the part when the two teams tip-off. So long as he receives the requisite help from his teammates, victory should be all but expected. Here are some other details worth noting.

  How to follow the action:

— Date: Monday, January 25th
— Time: 7:00 pm PT
— How to watch: NBATV, or FuboTV
— How to listen: NBA League Pass Radio or Rip City Radio 620 AM

Injury report, per CBS Sports:

— (POR) — Zach Collins, ankle (expected out until Mar. 1)
— (POR) — CJ McCollum, foot (expected out until Mar. 10)
— (POR) — Jusuf Nurkic, wrist (expected out until Mar. 12)
— (OKC) — Trevor Ariza, personal (expected out until Feb. 1)
— (OKC) — Josh Hall, protocol (expected to be Game Time Decision)
— (OKC) — Al Horford, personal (expected to be Game Time Decision)
— (OKC) — Ty Jerome, ankle (expected to be out until Jan. 29)

Projected starting lineups:

— (POR) — Damian Lillard (G), Rodney Hood (G), Robert Covington (F), Derrick Jones Jr. (F), Enes Kanter (C)
— (OKC) — George Hill (G), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (G), Luguentz Dort (F), Isaiah Roby (F), Darius Bazley (C)