Injury Report, Updated Odds (1/23): Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Portland Trail Blazers
The Oklahoma City Thunder takes on their first home game after four games on the road out west. They host the Portland Trail Blazers before hitting the road again. This should be a good opportunity for the Thunder, as they temporarily move to the top seed in the Western Conference with a win.
The Thunder played the Trail Blazers a couple of weeks ago, taking care of them quite handily, winning by a mere 62 points.
After a two-game skid in Los Angeles, the Thunder has gotten back on track with two good wins over some teams that have been quite hot as of late.
Injury Report
Thunder:
Ousmane Dieng, OUT (G League)
Olivier Sarr, OUT (Hip)
Lindy Waters, OUT (G League)
Trail Blazers:
Moses Brown, OUT (Wrist)
Shaedon Sharpe, OUT (Abdominal)
Robert Williams, OUT (Knee)
The Trail Blazers being without Sharpe is a big hit. His services are needed given their roster. For the Thunder, they're not without any rotational players in this one and only have one injury. It's easy to say that injuries will not be a factor in this one, and likely won't impact the result.
Given the talent discrepancy, the Thunder should win this game every time even if the two teams roll out their best 15 players with full health.
Updated Odds
After winning the last game by 62 points, the Thunder is naturally a steep favorite. They opened as a 14.5-point favorite, but the line has dropped a point as they're now a 13.5-point favorite.
As mentioned, this one should be one of the easier games for the Thunder in the month. They know exactly how to take care of business against a lesser opponent, as they're taking on a 12-30 team that they defeated by a large margin this month.
Still, a bad game or slow start could allow the Trail Blazers to cover the steep spread as an underdog.
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