Since the Oklahoma City Thunder (26-28) matched their longest winning streak of the season when they won four games in mid-January, they are just 4-5 in their last nine games. They will look to get back on the right side of things against a Portland Trail Blazers (27-28) side that they've already defeated twice this season. Thunder point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 62 total points in those last two meetings, and he has averaged 32.1 points over his last eight games.
Tip-off from the Moda Center, where the Blazers are 15-12 this season, is set for 10 p.m. ET. Portland is favored by 3 points in the latest Trail Blazers vs. Thunder odds from Caesars Sportsbook, and the over/under is set at 240.5. Before entering any Thunder vs. Trail Blazers picks, you'll want to see the NBA predictions from the model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past four-plus seasons. The model enters Week 17 of the 2022-23 NBA season on a stunning 52-28 roll on all top-rated NBA picks this season, returning nearly $2,000. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Trail Blazers vs. Thunder. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several NBA betting lines for Thunder vs. Blazers:
- Trail Blazers vs. Thunder spread: Trail Blazers -3
- Trail Blazers vs. Thunder over/under: 240.5 points
- Trail Blazers vs. Thunder money line: Portland -155, Oklahoma City +130
- Trail Blazers vs. Thunder picks: See picks here
What you need to know about the Trail Blazers
The Golden State Warriors have been one of the league's best home teams this season, but Portland was able to knock them off on Wednesday in a 125-122 win. Damian Lillard had a stellar night after he posted a triple-double on 33 points, 11 dimes, and 10 boards. After several recent lackluster performances, Jerami Grant had a nice showing as well, with 22 points and four rebounds.
The Blazers have managed to go 3-2 in their last five games as they have been able to overcome a deficit on hustle plays. The Blazers have been out-rebounded 42.6 to 37.4 on average during that stretch, and have only made 4.4 steals and three blocks per game. Part of that has been due to the absence of center Jusuf Nurkic, who has missed the last four games with a calf injury and is out for tonight. Portland also just traded away Gary Payton II and Josh Hart, so it will be a bit undermanned.
What you need to know about the Thunder
The Thunder won a close game of their own against the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday in a 133-130 victory. Gilgeous-Alexander had another standout game, with 30 points and eight assists. Forward Jalen Williams also had a strong showing, with 25 points in addition to seven rebounds and six steals.
The Thunder are just 2-3 in their last five games but have been shooting the ball well from deep. During those games, Oklahoma City has drained 40.2% of its 3-pointers, and Isaiah Joe has been the team's top shooter. Over his last five appearances, Joe has made one start and hit 47.4% of his threes. OKC will also be shorthanded on Friday after trading away Mike Muscala and Darius Bazley, while Aleksej Pokusevski (leg) is out and Luguentz Dort (hamstring) is questionable.
How to make Trail Blazers vs. Thunder picks
The model has simulated Thunder vs. Trail Blazers 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning Under, and it's also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in almost 60% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
Who wins Trail Blazers vs. Thunder? And which side of the spread hits almost 60% of the time? Visit SportsLine right now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the computer model that has crushed its NBA picks, and find out.