The Oklahoma City Thunder need a win to keep their playoff hopes alive, and they'll get a boost from Russell Westbrook, who is eligible to play after having his 16th technical foul rescinded by the NBA last night. The Portland Trail Blazers have locked up the No. 4 seed and are resting star forward LaMarcus Aldridge.
Projected Starting Lineups
Oklahoma City Thunder (43-37)
G Russell Westbrook – 27.9 ppg, 8.6 apg, 7.2 rpg
G Dion Waiters – 12.2 ppg, 2.8 rpg
F Andre Roberson – 3.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg
F Enes Kanter – 18.0 ppg, 10.8 rpg
C Steven Adams – 7.7 ppg, 7.5 rpg
Portland Trail Blazers (51-29)
G Damian Lillard – 21.2 ppg, 6.2 apg
G Arron Afflalo – 10.6 ppg, 2.7 rpg
F Nicolas Batum – 9.5 ppg, 5.9 rpg
F Meyers Leonard – 5.6 ppg, 4.5 rpg
C Robin Lopez– 9.8 ppg, 6.9 rpg
What to watch for:
Can Russell Westbrook get some help?
Westbrook gets a lot of criticism for taking a lot of shots, but with Kevin Durant and Serge Ibaka out with injuries, OKC doesn't have anyone else to get the ball to. In their loss to the Pacers last night, Westbrook scored 54 points on 21/43 shooting, while the rest of the team went just 20/52. Someone else is going to have to score over 20 points tonight for the Thunder if they're going to win.
Prediction: Blazers win 104-102
Portland doesn't have anything to play for other than pride, but they don't seem content to simply rest their starters for their last two games. I don't think Westbrook will get enough help from his teammates for them to pull out the win.
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