The Oklahoma City Thunder head to Portland on Tuesday for the first meeting between these teams in the 2026-27 regular season, and both clubs are walking into the same challenge: the first night of a road back-to-back.
Oklahoma City comes in at 8-2 and riding real momentum after hammering the Washington Wizards 114-75 on Saturday. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was in full control in that one, putting up 30 points and nine assists in just three quarters of work.
Portland, meanwhile, is trying to shake off a rough night. The Trail Blazers dropped a 125-103 decision to the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday, with Deni Avdija finishing with 15 points and four rebounds.
Tipoff is set for 10 p.m. CT.
Both teams are dealing with long injury lists. The Thunder will be without Jalen Williams (ankle surgery), Cason Wallace (shoulder surgery), Chet Holmgren (knee injury recovery), Jaylin Williams (back spasms), Nikola Topic (G League assignment) and Thomas Sorber (knee surgery).
The Trail Blazers list Ja Morant (hamstring strain), Shaedon Sharpe (torn meniscus), Vit Krejci (ankle fracture) and John Tonje (G League two-way) as out.
The projected starting fives point to a matchup built around star power and depth questions. Oklahoma City is expected to start Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jared McCain, Ajay Mitchell, Kenrich Williams and Isaiah Hartenstein. Portland’s probable group features Damian Lillard, Scoot Henderson, Deni Avdija, Toumani Camara and Donovan Clingan.
One prediction on the game calls for Portland to come away with a 104-98 win, with the view that the Thunder’s talent is real but the health gap and matchup edge could tilt things the other way. The read there is that Gilgeous-Alexander and Mitchell can give Oklahoma City a solid one-two punch, but Portland’s perimeter defenders can make life difficult and its role players can outplay the Thunder’s supporting cast. The same prediction says a split would be the ideal outcome for Oklahoma City on the road trip.
The over/under is 226.5.
After this one, the Thunder stay on the road for Wednesday’s rematch in Portland before heading to face the Clippers on Friday and the Kings on Sunday.
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The broader concern for Oklahoma City is less about the final score than the way the Blue struggled to create clean looks for long stretches. OKC shot 39% from the field and was ice-cold from deep, a rough backdrop for a player the organization is easing back into action and hoping can steadily regain his feel. For now, the return is underway, but the next step in that ramp-up will matter just as much as the first one. [Read more 🡒]