Game Thread GAME# 63: THUNDER @ BLAZERS - MARCH 3, 2018 - SATURDAY, 7:00 PM (PST), NBCSNW

[Darkwebs]

2017-18 REGULAR SEASON RECORD
OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER
35 - 27
(14-17 Road)
PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS
36 - 26
(19-11 Home)

______________________________
---------PROBABLE STARTERS---------

PG

RUSSELL WESTBROOK VS DAMIAN LILLARD

SG

JOSH HUESTIS VS C.J. McCOLLUM

SF

PAUL GEORGE VS EVAN TURNER

PF

JERAMI GRANT VS AL-FAROUQ AMINU

C

STEVEN ADAMS VS JUSUF NURKIC

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WHEN: 7:00 PM (PST), SATURDAY, 3/3/2018

WHERE: Moda Center, Portland, OR

TV BROADCAST:

RADIO BROADCAST:

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--------------BENCH--------------

-- OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER --

FELTON , DOZIER , ABRINES

FERGUSON , HAMILTON , BREWER

SINGLER , PATTERSON

COLLISON , JOHNSON

---- PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS ----

NAPIER , BALDWIN IV , CONNAUGHTON

HARKLESS, LAYMAN , SWANIGAN

COLLINS , DAVIS , LEONARD



INJURIES
THUNDER
Andre Roberson (left patellar surgery): OUT
TRAIL BLAZERS
Moe Harkless (left knee): QUESTIONABLE
C.J. Wilcox (G LEAGUE): OUT



HEAD COACHES

- VS –

BILLY DONOVAN --- TERRY STOTTS



OFFICIAL THUNDER'S GAME NOTES
OFFICIAL BLAZERS' GAME NOTES ​

• Thursday’s game marks the third of four regular season meetings between the Trail Blazers and the Thunder during the 2017-18 season.

• LAST MEETING: The Trail Blazers earned an impressive road win behind a strong shooting effort (53.1% FG, 43.5% 3-PT), defeating the Thunder in Oklahoma City, 117-106. CJ McCollum led Portland in scoring with 27 points (11-19 FG, 1-5 3-PT, 4-4 FT) to go with seven assists. Russell Westbrook and Paul George each scored 22 points for the Thunder.

• Damian Lillard scored 36 points (10-18 FG, 1-5 3-PT, 15-15 FT) to go with five rebounds and 13 assists in his lone game against the Thunder this season on Nov. 11.

• CJ McCollum has averaged 24.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists in two games against the Thunder this season. He has shot 52.8% from the fi eld in those contests.

• Russell Westbrook had 22 points, nine rebounds and 12 assists against Portland on Jan. 9. He has averaged 23.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 10.5 assists in two games against the Trail Blazers this season.

• HEAD-TO-HEAD HISTORY:
ALL TIME: Thunder lead, 116-114
IN PORTLAND: Trail Blazers lead, 75-40
AT THE THUNDER: Thunder lead, 76-39

​

 

[Darkwebs]

 

[kjironman1]

Big Big game coming up. I think they better make a few more swish3's and a bunch more Dunk2's in the first half next time or they will most certainly have a tough time winning 6 in a row.

 

[tester551]

On the poll, where is the neither option

 

[kjironman1]

This is no good. Can take a couple weeks for it to get better. Tough to jump with that injury.

 

[kjironman1]

On the poll, where is the neither option

That would be "Don't Vote" if you don't like the choices.

 

[Darkwebs]

On the poll, where is the neither option

I want this poll to be a tough one.

 

[SportsAndWhine]

I want this poll to be a tough one.

We're 4-0 in the Brandon Rush era... why make such a massive change this late in the season?

 

[B-Roy]

More ET

FML

 

[-Ace-]

Update our record to 36-26!

 

[-Ace-]

And our home record to 19-11!

 

[Orion Bailey]

Update our record to 36-26!

And our home record to 19-11!

Yeah. Fake news!!!

This is bs and unreliable. I Take it back. Looks like its time for @HCP to take these over.
Such blatant inaccuracies are simply not acceptable!!!!

 

[BlazerBeav]

CJ needs to light up whoever Andre's replacement is.

 

[THE HCP]

If there was ever a team that has great wings that we really need Mo to guard, it’s OKC.

 

[Mr. Robot]

OKC not playing well and Nurk / Adams should be a great matchup to watch!

lets keep the streak going, were nothing like the team that lost number of home games early in the season, or the team that lost games to a good teams... now were playing great and were here to stay!

 

[LayneStaley]

Those 4 losses of 2 points or less really make me cringe now. I still think we get the 4th seed at worst

 

[LayneStaley]

I don’t like watching us play against PG, our front office pulls that trade off at the draft and we are fighting with Hou and GS for a top 2 seed IMO

 

[LayneStaley]

As a Blazer fan I take this as he’s probably gonna have to take a medical retirement......2 to go.

 

[kjironman1]

I’d rather go big with Chief at SF or small with the 3 guards in than watch ET play ONE MIN.

Well that is pretty much what Stotts did. Not that he will get credit around here for doing it. But the fact remains.....

 

[ripcityboy]

We've actually been pretty healthy this season. Got to expect a few strains and falls here and there. Losing Mo really sucks though.

 

[BrunoSOC]

I hope Moe can return quick. We need him! Big game coming up, this is huge! Must Win game.

 

[TBpup]

Strain is better than a tear. Hopefully he can come back quickly. Definitely missed in a game like this.

 

[Chris Craig]

How long does a patella tendon strain usually take to heal from?

 

[BlazerBeav]

Harkless said post-game that he hopes to play Saturday....

 

[kjironman1]

How long does a patella tendon strain usually take to heal from?

3 days to 2 weeks unless there is damage. If it is just strained he will be back fairly quickly. The thing is they have to allow him to heal. Otherwise it becomes a tendonitis issue. That is worse. https://www.healthline.com/health/patellar-tendonitis#symptoms

 

[illmatic99]

We get the tie breaker if we win this, making the matchup in a few weeks @ OKC mostly irrelevant (for head to head considerations, anyway).

Westbrook brings the best out of Dame. And given the level Dame is already playing without any external motivation from a guy denigrating him, I can't wait to see how much higher Dame can get on Saturday. Dropped 36/13/5 in a convincing win against Russ at home earlier this year.

 

[andalusian]

I am sure Dame remembers Russ dissing him when pg was not originally an all star reserve

 

[hoopsjock]

We get the tie breaker if we win this, making the matchup in a few weeks @ OKC mostly irrelevant (for head to head considerations, anyway).

Westbrook brings the best out of Dame. And given the level Dame is already playing without any external motivation from a guy denigrating him, I can't wait to see how much higher Dame can get on Saturday. Dropped 36/13/5 in a convincing win against Russ at home earlier this year.

I know what you're trying to say but no game is irrelevant in this race.

 

[BBert]

We've actually been pretty healthy this season. Got to expect a few strains and falls here and there. Losing Mo really sucks though.

Mo was really starting to play with maturity. I thought over the last month we were seeing the Mo that most of us thought we'd see at the beginning of the year. You could see the maturity in his face and his physique was looking good also. This is a major bummer, man.

 

[PtldPlatypus]

Mo was really starting to play with maturity. I thought over the last month we were seeing the Mo that most of us thought we'd see at the beginning of the year. You could see the maturity in his face and his physique was looking good also. This is a major bummer, man.

Or...he'll get a little extra rest over the next couple weeks, and be all set for the stretch run and the playoffs.