The Oklahoma City Thunder have had the Portland Trail Blazers’ number in recent seasons, including a historic 62-point victory last January. The Thunder aim to extend their winning streak over Portland to 13 games when they visit the Trail Blazers on Friday night.
The 139-77 win on January 11 tied for the fifth-largest defeat in NBA history and marked the second-worst loss in Trail Blazers’ history, with Portland shooting just 27.7 percent from the field. That was only one of the Thunder’s dominant victories last season, which included a 134-91 road win on November 19, 2023.
Portland’s most recent victory in the series was a 133-85 home rout on April 3, 2021, when Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum were still in the backcourt. Oklahoma City is a much different team 3 1/2 seasons later, having won their first four games this season by an average of 17.5 points. The Thunder are the lone undefeated team in the Western Conference, with the Cleveland Cavaliers also unbeaten in the East.
The Thunder continued their strong start with a 105-93 home victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday. Oklahoma City big man Chet Holmgren decisively won his matchup with San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama, scoring 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting while Wembanyama had just six points on 1-of-5 shooting. Holmgren dismissed the hype around the matchup, attributing it to the NBA’s promotion. Wembanyama won NBA Rookie of the Year last season, with Holmgren as the runner-up.
Holmgren is averaging 22.5 points, 11 rebounds, and 3.5 blocks through four games. Oklahoma City star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who averaged over 30 points per game each of the past two seasons, leads the team with 26 points per game this season. He also contributes 7.5 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 2.5 steals, and 1.5 blocks. Jalen Williams is off to a strong start as well, averaging 17 points, seven rebounds, and six assists.
Friday’s contest is the first of a back-to-back road set for the Thunder, who visit the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday night.
Portland faced the Clippers on the road Wednesday and secured a 106-105 victory. Anfernee Simons scored 25 points for his third 20-point outing of the season, averaging a team-best 20.6 points and five assists per game. Big man Deandre Ayton added 15 points and 12 rebounds, making a key steal by intercepting a last-second lob to the Clippers’ Ivica Zubac. Ayton has recorded five straight double-doubles to start the season.
Jerami Grant, however, has struggled in his last two games after averaging 26 points over his first three. He scored just seven points on 3-of-12 shooting in a 111-98 loss to the Sacramento Kings on Monday and eight points on 3-of-14 shooting against the Clippers. The Trail Blazers will look to improve their performance against the dominant Thunder.
