Oklahoma City Thunder, the top seed in the West at 8-2, visit Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center early on Wednesday morning UK time in the first of two straight nights in Oregon, with the Blazers having lost their last two games.

Both teams were knocked out by San Antonio in the 2026 playoffs, the Thunder in a seven-game Western Conference finals and Portland in five games in round one, and this fixture is one of four meetings in the NBA schedule this season.

What is the form like for the Thunder and Trail Blazers?

Oklahoma City have won eight of their first 10 games and arrive on a four-game winning streak.

Their only defeats came on consecutive road games at Dallas and Houston, by 24 and 21 points, after three starters suffered long-term injuries on 25 October.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has since been rested for the whole fourth quarter in each of the last two wins, including a 114-75 victory over Washington in which he scored 30 points in 29 minutes. The Wizards shot 29.6% from the field that night, which fits a defence conceding 104.2 points per game this season.

Portland sit 6-3 and have been far better away from Moda Center, with five wins in six road games against a home record of 1-2.

Portland's last two games both turned on possessions, since Micah Nori said his team had 24 turnovers and allowed 17 offensive rebounds in the 124-118 loss at the Lakers, before San Antonio won the rebounding 51-38 and the Blazers made only nine of 35 three-pointers in a 125-103 defeat.

Their offence still rates at 120.0 points per 100 possessions, well clear of Oklahoma City's 113.4, so the Blazers can score against anyone when they protect the ball. That is the catch, because Portland average 16.3 turnovers a game to the Thunder's 12.0, and the Thunder's 105.5 defensive rating is the stronger of the two.

The venue splits are tighter than the season numbers, since Oklahoma City have scored 111.0 and conceded 110.4 across five road games while Portland have scored 110.0 and conceded 110.7 across three at home, which is why this reads as a closer game than the records suggest.

Portland's ball movement, at 26.2 assists per game to Oklahoma City's 23.1, means they should stay in touch, yet the Thunder's defence and cleaner possessions make them the more reliable side.

Thunder vs. Trail Blazers team news and rotations

Oklahoma City are without Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren and Cason Wallace, who all suffered long-term injuries in the same game on 25 October. Jaylin Williams and Thomas Sorber are also listed as out, although Williams carries a return date that matches the game day, so his status could change before tip-off.

Those absences have pushed rookie Aday Mara into the starting five, where he scored a season-high 18 points against Washington, while Jared McCain added 19 points off the bench.

Portland are without Ja Morant because of a hamstring injury, which made Scoot Henderson the starting point guard, and he has managed four assists and 11 turnovers in his first four starts while shooting 28.6%.

Robert Williams III is out for rest and Vit Krejci and Shaedon Sharpe are also sidelined, which keeps Jrue Holiday and Damian Lillard central to Portland's guard rotation.

The matchups that could decide Thunder vs. Trail Blazers

Gilgeous-Alexander's scoring set against Deni Avdija's playmaking is the headline duel, since Nori moved Avdija into secondary actions this season to cut his turnovers and he has responded by averaging 6.3 assists.

Under the basket, Isaiah Hartenstein and Donovan Clingan average almost identical rebound numbers, while Ajay Mitchell and Lillard are the second scorers who usually decide close quarters. Toumani Camara makes 3.1 threes a game, the highest volume on the Blazers roster, which gives Portland a spacing option beyond Lillard.

Player props for Thunder vs. Trail Blazers

What has happened when the Thunder and Trail Blazers meet?

Oklahoma City won last season's series 3-1 and took the last three meetings by 27, eight and 29 points.

The one Portland win, 121-119 on 5 November 2025, came after a 22-point comeback and ended the Thunder's unbeaten start.

The clubs meet again in Portland the next night, then in Oklahoma City on 17 January and 9 February, by which point the Western Conference standings should look far clearer.

Our Thunder vs. Trail Blazers prediction and tips

The Thunder look the right side to cover a small spread because their defence is conceding the fewest points of the two, Portland's turnovers hand them extra possessions, and Gilgeous-Alexander is likely to stay on the floor in a closer game. The counter-case is Portland's scoring, 119.3 points per game, but both of their home defeats came by more than 20 points.

The total should stay low since no game in those venue splits has gone above 229 points, and Oklahoma City play at the slower pace, 98.9 possessions a game to Portland's 101.0.