The Portland Trail Blazers try to go up 3-0 in their first round best-of-seven series against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday night. The Thunder are looking for some luck by taking on Portland at home. Will OKC get back on track? Or, will the Blazers grab a commanding lead? Check out NBA Playoffs betting odds, analysis, and a free pick for Trail Blazers-Thunder Game 3!
Trail Blazers vs Thunder Game 3 2019 NBA Playoffs Odds
Round 1 // Game 3 Tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/rxQWtFlkYP
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) April 19, 2019
- When: Friday, April 19 at 9:30pm ET
- Where: Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, OK
- TV: ESPN
- ATS Odds: Thunder -7 ½ *(total 222)
Why Portland Trail Blazers are a good bet at +7 ½
Enes Kanter has filled in nicely for the injured Jusuf Nurkic, but the real reason the Trail Blazers have a 2-0 lead over the Oklahoma City Thunder is because of their devastating backcourt.
Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum were tremendous in the 114-94 Game 2 victory. Lillard had 29 points, 6 assists, and 4 boards while McCollum had 33 points, 5 assists and 8 rebounds. As long as Lillard and McCollum play in this series, Portland will have a chance to not only cover but also beat the Thunder straight up.
Team Statistics
Offense:- Points/G: 114.7
- Field Goal %: 46.7
- 3-Point %: 35.9
- Free Throw %: 81.4
- Rebounds/G: 48.0
- Points/G: 110.5
- Field Goal %: 45.7
- 3-Point %: 35.9
- Free Throw %: 77
- Rebounds/G: 42.8
Why Oklahoma City Thunder are a good bet at -7 ½
The Thunder and Trail Blazers were tied heading into halftime in Game 2. Both teams had 54 points. Oklahoma City allowed the Blazers to pull away from them in the third quarter. That’s when Portland outscored OKC 37-21.
There’s a chance Oklahoma City turns the tables on their rivals at home, though. The Thunder are good enough to get back in this series. Russell Westbrook must step it up on the offensive end. Paul George can’t do it alone. Thunder fans should expect that the pair will be more in sync on Friday night than they have been so far in the series.
Team Statistics
Offense:- Points/G: 114.5
- Field Goal %: 45.4
- 3-Point %: 35.8
- Free Throw %: 71.3
- Rebounds/G: 48.1
- Points/G: 111.1
- Field Goal %: 46.0
- 3-Point %: 35.6
- Free Throw %: 76.1
- Rebounds/G: 45.7
NBA Playoffs Betting Trends for Portland Trail Blazers vs Oklahoma City Thunder
- Trail Blazers are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 Friday games
- Trail Blazers are 11-5 ATS in their last 16 road games
- Thunder are 9-19 ATS in their last 28 games overall
- Thunder are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 home games versus a team with a winning record
- Thunder are 4-15 ATS in their last 19 versus the Western Conference
Trail Blazers vs Thunder Game 3 Final Analysis
Oklahoma City has the talent to come back and win the series, but this is a lot of points. The problem the Thunder are having is containing both Lillard and McCollum. Portland’s two all-star guards are killing the Thunder.
One thing that might help is Enes Kanter is only listed as probable while McCollum and Lillard accounted for 62 of Portland’s 114 points in the last game. Even if Kanter plays, if he’s slowed down in any way, OKC will capitalize. As far as Lillard and McCollum are concerned, Russell must match at least one of the star guards. If he does, the Thunder could blow out Portland on Friday night. That’s the way to go here. OKC gets back into the series.
NBA Playoffs Betting Pick: Thunder -7 ½
