As good as Russell Westbrook has been over the course of the last three regular seasons, he’s been unable to find postseason success since Kevin Durant left the Oklahoma City Thunder following a run to the Western Conference Final in 2016. Russ has a new sidekick in Paul George and the duo has the Thunder riding high entering their first-round playoff series with the Portland Trail Blazers.
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No. 3 Portland Trail Blazers vs. No. 6Oklahoma City ThunderSeries Schedule
Game 1: Thunder at Trail Blazers, Sunday, April 14, 2019, 3:30 p.m. ET (ABC)
Game 2: Thunder at Trail Blazers, Tuesday, April 16, 2019, 10:30 p.m. ET (TNT)
Game 3: Trail Blazers at Thunder, Friday, April 19, 2019, 9:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Game 4: Trail Blazers at Thunder, Sunday, April 21, 2019, 9:30 p.m. ET (TNT)
Game 5: Thunder at Trail Blazers, Tuesday, April 23, 2019 (If Necessary)
Game 6: Trail Blazers at Thunder, Thursday, April 25, 2019 (If Necessary)
Game 7: Thunder at Trail Blazers, Saturday, April 27, 2019 (If Necessary)
Series Price at BookMaker.eu: Check Back Later
A late-season swoon dropped OKC to the bottom of the playoff standings after the Thunder had been putting pressure on Denver and Golden State at the other end. Behind Westbrook, George and a resurgent bench, OKC ended the season on high note with five straight wins and, more importantly, they avoided the eight-seed and a matchup with the defending champs in the first round.
The Thunder also surged past San Antonio and will face a short-handed Portland crew in the first round. And the winner of this series avoids the No. 1 seed in the next round.
Westbrook is trying to build his own legacy in OKC and winning a playoff series would certainly make it more enjoyable. The Thunder reached the NBA Finals seven seasons ago when Russ shared the spotlight with KD and James Harden. Durant and Westbrook had OKC a win away from a return trip to the Finals in 2016 before succumbing to the Dubs. KD bailed after that season leaving Russ as the only holdover.
And the Thunder have yet to win a playoff series since, bowing to the Rockets two years ago and getting upset by the Jazz last year in a series where Westbrook had a meltdown on and off the court.
Westbrook averaged a triple-double with 22.9 points, 11.1 rebounds and 10.7 assists per game, but those numbers are meaningless without postseason success. While it’s been Westbrook and George most of the season, Billy Donovan used his bench more at the end of the season and Dennis Schroeder, Markieff Morris and Patrick Patterson responded by playing their best basketball.
With home court locked up, the Blazers sat Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum, Al-Farouq Aminu and Mo Harkless in the regular season finale. The starters will be rested and eager to take the floor after getting swept by New Orleans last year as the No. 3 seed. McCollum returned after missing 10 games with an injury and the hope is that he returns to the form that helped make Portland’s backcourt one of the most dangerous in the NBA.
Lillard finished the season averaging nearly 26 points per game while McCollum tossed in 21. CJ scored 20 points total in two games since returning, making just 30.8 percent of his shots and two three-pointers. He was eased back into the rotation, but the Blazers need him now if they wish to advance.
Injury Report
The Blazers sustained a huge blow when Jusuf Nurkic was lost for the season with a gruesome leg injury last month. And it sucked since he was enjoying his best game of the season at the time of the injury. Nurkic is the down low presence that opens the floor for Dame and CJ, and he adds a little pop to the lineup as well. He scored 32 points with 16 rebounds before leaving late in a win over Brooklyn that clinched Portland’s playoff berth. Nurkic averaged 15.6 points and 10.7 rebounds this season and will be replaced by Enes Kanter and Zach Collins. Kanter isn’t the facilitator Nurkic is, but he can fill the void against his former team.
Trail Blazers vs. Thunder Free Picks
We will have an entertaining matchup between Russ and Lillard, and both leaders are looking for redemption after getting bounced in the first round last year. Westbrook wants to show he can lead his team to playoff success, which has been unattainable so far. But he is leaning more on his teammates, mostly George, who averages 28 points per game. OKC got strong play from its bench over the last few games of the regular season and that depth advantage is what propels the Thunder to the second round for the first time in three seasons.
Trail Blazers vs. Thunder Series Pick: Thunder in 6 Games
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