The Portland Trail Blazers are finishing off their long seven-game road trip with a clash against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday. Portland has gone 4-2 so far on the trip, losing only to the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics, two of the top three teams in the NBA. This matchup with the Thunder, yet another game against a top-three team, could be another difficult contest.
As they did with the matchup against the Celtics, the Blazers face a shorthanded team. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams are both out heading into this contest, as well as a couple other rotation players. How Portland is able to take advantage of the holes in OKC’s lineup could be the difference between a win and a loss.
> **Portland Trail Blazers (28-34) at Boston Celtics (43-18) - Wed. Mar. 5 - 4:00pm Pacific**
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> **How to watch via antenna or cable:** See your [**options on the Rip City Television Network**](https://www.nba.com/blazers/watch?srsltid=AfmBOorShJIWv2yximW-82DyZ4D66ZJwAn6yctv8pQZHVaC24PWuH0IN)
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> **How to watch via streaming:** BlazerVision in Oregon and Washington; League Pass everywhere else
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> **Trail Blazers injuries:** Jerami Grant, Deni Avdija (questionable), Matisse Thybulle, Deandre Ayton, Robert Williams III, Dalano Banton (out)
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> **Thunder injuries:** Chet Holmgren (questionable), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Lugentz Dort, Isaiah Hartenstein, Cason Wallace (out)
**Reader Questions**
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**From DarthKader3:**
> I’ll try to give you a serious question. What record in your estimation do the blazers need to achieve in their next 8 games to make you feel like they have an above 50% chance of making the play in?
The next eight games have some very tough opponents. At first glance, the Toronto Raptors and Washington Wizards are the only teams with a worse record than Portland. Those are must-wins. The other six teams all have top-12 records in the NBA. Even those nearer the bottom, the Detroit Pistons and Golden State Warriors, have been streaking recently and are 8-2 in their last 10 games.
If Portland can come out of this stretch with a 4-4 record, that’s a very good sign. It might not be good enough, however, to make up the four-game lead that the 10th-place Dallas Mavericks have in the play-in race. With a softer end-of-the-season schedule, the Blazers going 4-4 during this stretch might give me just enough confidence to say a 50% chance at the Play-In.
**From oregoner:**
> Are the Thunder hoping the Blazers get the 7-seed so they can avoid us in the playoffs?
The Blazers are playing some very good basketball recently. They have won games against worse teams and competed with better teams. IF, and that’s a big if, Portland sneaks into the NBA Play-In Tournament or the Playoffs, they will not be an easy out.
In all seriousness, the Thunder are a great team. They are probably not scared of any of the teams that they could play in the first round. However, out of the teams from the 7-12 range, the Blazers are probably not the team that Oklahoma City would be the least afraid to face, so that’s a major step up from the start of the season.
**From Knack:**
> If every team we face sits most of their starters against us, does that mean we should be favorites for the NBA finals?
At this rate, the Blazers might be the favorite to win the NBA Finals, if the Boston Celtics that faced Portland last game are any indication. Payton Pritchard and Derrick White won’t have that kind of shooting performance four out of seven times in a series. A depleted Thunder team could be beat by this Blazers squad in the first round. If all it takes is for each playoff opponent to be without two or three of their best players, anything is possible.
**What to Watch For**
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**Where is this team at?** The Blazers have proven they are able to beat bad teams consistently, and even good teams occasionally. However, the Thunder are a truly great team. So are the Celtics and Cavaliers. Portland has so far on this road trip fallen short of a win over a Cavs team without Donovan Mitchell and a Celtics team missing three starters. If the Blazers really want to make a push for the Play-In, they have to prove they can beat teams like Oklahoma City when they are missing key pieces.
**What Others Are Saying**
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[Ryan Stiles of Oklahoma City Thunder on SI](https://www.si.com/nba/thunder/news/okc-thunder-stakes-claim-to-another-50-win-season-march-3-25) talks about yet another 50-win season for the Thunder and how their play this season has added to their dominance over the last decade and a half of the NBA.
> The Thunder have seven such seasons of a 50 win total on its resume dating back to the 2009-10 NBA season. However, Oklahoma City can extend that mark out to nine such seasons when you factor in 50-win equivalent campaigns in 2019-20 and 2011-12 during shortened seasons.
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> This is the most such year’s in the NBA during that span and a credit to how dominant the Thunder have been since arriving in Bricktown even after rebuilding after its first iteration came to an end.
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> Oklahoma City is on pace to top its franchise-high win more (60) and has logged four straight months of double-digit victories leading to Mark Daigneault being tabbed coach of the month by the league on Monday.