Oklahoma City Thunder at Portland Trail Blazers
Monday, 2/6/12, 10:00 PM EST, TV: NBATV
Opening Point Spread: Oklahoma City PK
Current Betting Line: Oklahoma City -1
Opening Total: 198
Current Total: 196
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker
Oklahoma City will be seeking revenge in Monday’s contest against the Portland Trail Blazers, dropping a 103-93 decision in the first meeting this year as 4.5-point home favorites. The Thunder will be playing their second game of a five-game trip, falling 107-96 to the San Antonio Spurs as 2.5-point road underdogs on Saturday. “It’s all about stopping the basketball and we didn’t do a good job of that,” stated Thunder head coach Scott Brooks. The team may want to focus on defending the perimeter, allowing opponents to hit 41 of 95 three-point shots in the last five road games. Oklahoma City is 4-2 ATS as a road favorite of three points or less this season.
The Thunder enter the Rose Garden with an NBA-best 9-4 road record, which makes them one of only three Western Conference teams with a winning record away from home. Dating back to the start of the 2010-11 campaign, Oklahoma City is a solid 23-7 when playing off a straight-up loss. Star forward Kevin Durant will need to perform better against Portland in order to pull off the win tonight, shooting just 32.4 percent in his last three games in this series.
Portland knows it will be in a dog fight tonight due to handing Oklahoma City its only home loss of the season thus far, while all four meetings were decided by fewer than 10 points during the 2010-11 series. The Blazers have alternated wins and losses over their last seven games, coming off a dominating 117-97 win over the Denver Nuggets as 6.5-point home favorites, while going “over” the total for the first time in five contests. Portland is 10-2 ATS at home this season, but just 1-4 ATS as an underdog in all contests.
The Blazers’ 11-1 record inside tonight’s venue is the franchise’s best start at home since the 1997-98 season. Portland is being led by power forward LaMarcus Aldridge, who ranks sixth in the NBA in averaging 23.1 points per game. The team is one of only two in the Western Conference and three teams in the NBA to have six players averaging double-figures in scoring.
Bettors will likely back the Thunder due to their 8-3 ATS mark as a road favorite of 4.5 points or less, while the Blazers are 1-6 ATS following a spread win.
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