Oklahoma City Thunder

Russell Westbrook once again wasn't in a talking mood following his team's 111-98 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers in Sunday's Game 4 of their Western Conference first-round playoff series.

Westbrook said "Uh, that's a good question. Um. Not sure" when he was asked about his defense on Damian Lillard when the Trail Blazers point guard exploded for 15 points in the third quarter alone and seized control of the game for his team.

After Game 4 loss to Blazers, Thunder's Russell Westbrook (14 points, 5-21 shooting, minus-17) alters his "next question" strategy in stand-off with OKC reporter: "Uh, that's a good question. Um. Not sure." pic.twitter.com/c0PSt3y5RP

— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) April 22, 2019

Russell Westbrook has changed his approach to @BerryTramel, answering, "Uh, that's a good question. Not sure." And the next one, responded something similar.

— Royce Young (@royceyoung) April 22, 2019

This comes after much was made of his refusal to answer questions from Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman after Game 3, responding with just a "next question."

"You want me to tell him...?" PG to Russ as Westbrook continues feud with Oklahoman columnist pic.twitter.com/aEfyz6VALD

— NBC Sports Northwest (@NBCSNorthwest) April 20, 2019

Westbrook has issues with Tramel dating back years, and the writer explained "I keep asking, with no hope of getting an answer, because the media shouldn't give in to Westbrook's desire to control everything," when discussing why he continues to ask questions of the point guard.

Oklahoma City has bigger problems, though, after Sunday's loss and finds itself behind 3-1 in the series.

Lillard (24 points and eight assists) outplayed Westbrook (14 points on 5-of-21 shooting from the field), while CJ McCollum added 27 points in an impressive performance. The Trail Blazers can close out the series on Tuesday at home.

Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr believes Russell Westbrook's handling of the media could lead to problems down the line.

The Oklahoma City Thunder guard has refused to answer questions from Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman and only responded with "next question" during his postgame interview Friday:

"You want me to tell him...?" PG to Russ as Westbrook continues feud with Oklahoman columnist pic.twitter.com/aEfyz6VALD

— NBC Sports Northwest (@NBCSNorthwest) April 20, 2019

"I think it's dangerous for the league," Kerr said of the approach.

Although Westbrook didn't violate any league rules during the exchange, Kerr is concerned about the impact it will have on fans:

"I just feel that we have to be very careful as a league. We're in a good place right now. Very popular. Fans love the game, the social dynamic, the fashion. But more than anything they love the connection they feel to the players. I think it's important for the players to understand that it's a key dynamic to this league. I don't think this is a healthy dynamic, for this league, for any player, any team, any local media, any national media."

Westbrook's problems with Tramel date back to 2015, and the All-Star has refused to answer questions from the reporter. Tramel explained earlier this month that this won't stop him from doing his job at press conferences.

"I keep asking, with no hope of getting an answer, because the media shouldn't give in to Westbrook's desire to control everything," Tramel said.

Although Kerr agrees that Westbrook should be more open, his reasoning is based on pleasing the audience.

"You've got to feed information to the fans," the coach said.

The NBA is a star-driven league, but a disconnect between those players and the fans could hurt its popularity.

Not even a playoff victory was enough to thaw the icy relationship Oklahoma City Thunder star Russell Westbrook has with a member of the local media. 

Following the Thunder's 120-108 Game 3 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday, Westbrook again refused to answer any questions from The Oklahoman's Berry Tramel:

"You want me to tell him...?" PG to Russ as Westbrook continues feud with Oklahoman columnist pic.twitter.com/aEfyz6VALD

— NBC Sports Northwest (@NBCSNorthwest) April 20, 2019

It's unclear exactly when Westbrook's beef with Tramel began. Bryan Curtis wrote about it for Grantland in March 2015, noting the former NBA MVP told the reporter during a game earlier in the season: "I just don’t like you."

After Game 4 of the 2017 playoffs against the Houston Rockets, Westbrook accused Tramel of trying to divide the Thunder because of a question he asked Steven Adams:

Per Clay Horning of the Norman Transcript, Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts directly addressed Tramel when he walked into the press room after the game. 

"Go ahead, I’ll answer your question, Berry.”

Before Westbrook continued to dismiss Tramel's questions, he and the Thunder got a much-needed win over Portland to avoid falling in a 3-0 hole as they chase their first playoff series win in three years.   

The Oklahoma City Thunder can't catch a break, as rookie Hamidou Diallo is expected to miss extended time after he underwent right elbow surgery. 

Per an announcement from Thunder general manager Sam Presti, Diallo had an arthroscopic procedure done Wednesday that will keep him out for approximately four weeks. 

Diallo's playing time has been severely limited in the games he's played since the All-Star break. The most action he's seen in that time came March 18 against the Miami Heat when he was on the floor for four minutes, 50 seconds. 

In Oklahoma City's last 28 games, including the playoffs, Diallo has appeared in seven of them. The 20-year-old made a name for himself during All-Star Weekend when he won the Slam Dunk Contest. 

The Thunder acquired Diallo in a draft night deal with the Charlotte Hornets, which became official July 6. He was selected 45th overall by the Brooklyn Nets, who traded his rights to Charlotte. The former Kentucky guard averaged 3.7 points and 1.9 rebounds per game in his rookie campaign. 

Oklahoma City needs a quick turnaround after it dropped its first two playoff games against the Portland Trail Blazers. The Thunder will host Game 3 on Friday. 

Oklahoma City Thunder center Steven Adams isn't apologizing for his hard screen on Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard late in Game 2 on Tuesday night.

With Portland holding a comfortable lead in the latter half of the fourth quarter, the 7'0", 265-pound Adams caught an unsuspecting Lillard, who measures in at 6'3" and 195 pounds, with a hard screen around half court to free up teammate Russell Westbrook:

Steven Adams: absolute unit https://t.co/FV8aCfUMmG

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 17, 2019

Lillard appeared to take exception to that move, leading to the two exchanging words moments later at the first stoppage in play.

Adams made it clear after the game that if Lillard is mad at anyone, it should be at his Portland teammates, not the OKC big man, via ESPN's Royce Young:

Steven Adams on his screen on Damian Lillard and the conversation after: “That was just a weird situation. It might’ve hurt but it’s not my problem really. It’s his big man to let him know there’s a screen there but he got upset with me.” pic.twitter.com/52u4XuRdqQ

— Royce Young (@royceyoung) April 17, 2019

Lillard and the Trail Blazers got the last laugh on this night, though, in the form of a 114-94 victory to take a 2-0 series lead. Lillard had 29 points and six assists in the win, while Adams had 16 points and nine rebounds in a losing effort.  

Paul George provided some perspective as to the severity of his shoulder injury following the Oklahoma City Thunder's 104-99 defeat to the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday in the opening round of the 2019 NBA playoffs.

"For me, it's just rhythm," George said to reporters, per the Washington Post's Ben Golliver. "Four days ago, I couldn't even lift my shoulder. Fast forward to today, that's the first day I shot the ball."

Thunder's Paul George (8-24 shooting, 4-15 from deep in Game 1 loss to Blazers) on his health & shoulder injury: "For me, it's just rhythm. Four days ago, I couldn't even lift my shoulder. Fast forward to today, that's the first day I shot the ball." pic.twitter.com/9M3dwrmtu2

— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) April 14, 2019

George shot 8-of-24 from the field and 4-of-15 from three-point range in the defeat. The Thunder were 5-of-33 on three-pointers as a team.

ESPN.com's Royce Young reported Friday that George was considered day-to-day with right shoulder soreness. The issue with his right shoulder dated back to February, and the Thunder listed him on the injury report with left shoulder soreness in March.

Maybe Paul George should have given the shoulder another few days.

— Yaya Dubin (@JADubin5) April 14, 2019

As Sunday showed, simply having George on the court isn't enough for Oklahoma City, just like it wasn't enough last year when he shot 2-of-16 in the team's Game 6 defeat to the Utah Jazz. 

George is the Thunder's leading scorer and best perimeter defender. When he has an off night, it creates a ripple effect on both ends of the court.

The Thunder play Portland on Tuesday in Game 2. Even if it means increasing the chance of falling behind 2-0 in the series, resting George might be the prudent approach. Then when things shift to Oklahoma City for Game 3, George's shoulder might be closer to 100 percent.

Who are the Oklahoma City Thunder? At a glance, they look like a contender with two superstars and a solid supporting cast. Watch the video above as Howard Beck explains why the Thunder's playoff series against the Trailblazers could answer that question.

   

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Paul George's ailing shoulder could keep him out for the start of the Oklahoma City Thunder's postseason series against the Portland Trail Blazers. 

Thunder head coach Billy Donovan told reporters George is day to day after finishing practice on Friday. 

George also spoke about his shoulder, saying he expects to play on Sunday:

Paul George said the pain in his right shoulder was too much to try and play through against Milwaukee, but says “as much as I can get it 100 as possible or close to it, you can expect me out there Sunday.” pic.twitter.com/5wHNiC7CyR

— Royce Young (@royceyoung) April 12, 2019

In his second season as a member of the Thunder, George took his game to new heights in 2018-19. Appearing 77 regular-season games, George set career highs across the board with 28.0 points, 8.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2.2 steals per game.

That netted him his sixth career All-Star nod and gave OKC two elite-level performers along with one-time NBA MVP Russell Westbrook.

George is one of the NBA's most versatile and complete players due to his ability to contribute in myriad areas. Because of that, the Thunder can ill afford to lose him for an extended period of time, especially since they lack depth on the wing.

Since missing all but six games in 2014-15 as a member of the Indiana Pacers, George has been a highly durable player. He hasn't missed more than seven games in a single season, and he has sat out just 16 games over the past four seasons.

Thanks to his career year, PG-13 helped the Thunder nab the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference playoffs and is looking to help them bounce back from a first-round exit in 2018.

George sat out Wednesday's regular-season finale against the Milwaukee Bucks with the shoulder injury, and the Thunder will be hoping to get him back as soon as possible with their playoff run set to start Sunday.

If George can't go Sunday, the Thunder may be forced to turn to some less-heralded options. In addition to Westbrook shouldering more of the offensive load, the likes of Jerami Grant, Terrance Ferguson and Markieff Morris will be asked to pick up the slack.

The Thunder will take on the Blazers in Game 1 of the Western Conference quarterfinals Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET. 

Sixteen teams will attempt to catch a second wind as the 2018-19 NBA playoffs start Saturday. We're going to see the separation between good regular-season clubs and legitimate title contenders.

We hear about a team's ability to "flip a switch" in the postseason, which suggests that club may have gone through the motions over the past six months. The Boston Celtics fall into this category.

With LeBron James going west, many thought the Celtics would take over the Eastern Conference with a young core, a star player in Kyrie Irving, a healthy Gordon Hayward and upstart head coach Brad Stevens.

However, Boston's performances lacked cohesiveness, which resulted in a decent but unexceptional 49-win campaign and a No. 4 seed.

Will we see the same lukewarm Celtics team in the postseason? Can this group shift into another gear?

The Orlando Magic are back in the playoffs for the first time since the 2011-12 campaign as Southeast Division champions. They have a tough first-round draw with the Toronto Raptors, who nearly matched their franchise-high 59 wins from the last season with a 58-24 record under head coach Nick Nurse.

One Western Conference series features two clubs that exited the playoffs in the first round in the two previous terms. While both squads should feel pressure to advance, one player will dominate the headlines.

Should we consider the Denver Nuggets a legitimate contender? Will they advance past the opening round?

After a final check on the standings, we will go through the most intriguing playoff series, pick an upset and take a detailed look at a team to watch throughout the postseason.

                

Final 2018-19 NBA Standings

Eastern Conference

1. Milwaukee Bucks (60-22)

2. Toronto Raptors (58-24)

3. Philadelphia 76ers (51-31)

4. Boston Celtics (49-33)

5. Indiana Pacers (48-34)

6. Brooklyn Nets (42-40)

7. Orlando Magic (42-40)

8. Detroit Pistons (41-41)

9. Charlotte Hornets (39-43)

10. Miami Heat (39-43)

11. Washington Wizards (32-50)

12. Atlanta Hawks (29-53)

13. Chicago Bulls (22-60)

14. Cleveland Cavaliers (19-63)

15. New York Knicks (17-65)

                        

Western Conference

1. Golden State Warriors (57-25)

2. Denver Nuggets (54-28)

3. Portland Trail Blazers (53-29)

4. Houston Rockets (53-29)

5. Utah Jazz (50-32)

6. Oklahoma City Thunder (49-33)

7. San Antonio Spurs (48-34)

8. Los Angeles Clippers (48-34)

9. Sacramento Kings (39-43)

10. Los Angeles Lakers (37-45)

11. Minnesota Timberwolves (36-46)

12. Memphis Grizzlies (33-49)

13. New Orleans Pelicans (33-49)

14. Dallas Mavericks (33-49)

15. Phoenix Suns (19-63)

              

1st-Round Playoff Predictions

East Matchups 

No. 1 Milwaukee Bucks vs. No. 8 Detroit Pistons: Bucks in four games

No. 2 Toronto Raptors vs. No. 7 Orlando Magic: Raptors in four games

No. 3 Philadelphia 76ers vs. No. 6 Brooklyn Nets: Sixers in four games

No. 4 Boston Celtics vs. No. 5 Indiana Pacers: Celtics in four games

                  

West Matchups

No. 1 Golden State Warriors vs. No. 8 Los Angeles Clippers: Warriors in four games 

No. 2 Denver Nuggets vs. No. 7 San Antonio Spurs: Spurs in six games

No. 3 Portland Trail Blazers vs. No. 6 Oklahoma City Thunder: Thunder in six games

No. 4 Houston Rockets vs. No. 5 Utah Jazz: Rockets in seven games

              

Most Intriguing Series: No. 3 Portland Trail Blazers vs. No. 6 Oklahoma City Thunder

The Portland Trail Blazers and Oklahoma City Thunder have a matchup that puts the stars of each squad under a microscope.

Damian Lillard leads the charge in Portland. Oftentimes, he's viewed as an underrated All-Star guard because of the collection of talent in the West. Will that perception shift if he exits the first round for a third consecutive year?

Lillard can't win these series alone, but he must raise his level of play from last year. During the 2017-18 campaign, he averaged 26.5 points per game, and that number dropped to 18.5 in a 4-0 series defeat to the New Orleans Pelicans in April 2018.

The Blazers would endure a huge blow to their playoff psyche if they take another early exit as a No. 3 seed. They won't have center Jusuf Nurkic, who suffered compound leg fractures in a March contest against the Brooklyn Nets. After missing 10 contests with a popliteus strain in his left knee, guard CJ McCollum suited up for two games but shot 8-of-26 from the floor after his return to the court Sunday.

If the Lillard-McCollum tandem falls short again, the front office will need to consider a notable upgrade in the frontcourt.

In Oklahoma City, meanwhile, guard Russell Westbrook will face immense pressure because he hasn't experienced playoff success without Kevin Durant. This year, he's going into the postseason with enough help to win at least one series.

Through the 2018-19 campaign, Paul George averaged a season-high 28 points per game and often closed contests with the ball in his hand. He hit the game-winning shot against the Houston Rockets on Tuesday:

"This was a beauty" pic.twitter.com/xTixh16gwS

— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) April 10, 2019

Westbrook can defer to George if necessary; he also has a strong supporting cast. Forward Jerami Grant has put together his best year averaging 13.6 points and 5.2 rebounds while converting nearly 50 percent of his shots from the floor. Center Steven Adams provides an interior presence that the Blazers can't match in the paint and on the glass.

Lillard and Westbrook will capture headlines. But one of these teams will find a breakthrough, and the other will need to do some offseason soul-searching.

                   

Upset Pick: No. 7 San Antonio Spurs def. No. 2 Denver Nuggets in 6 Games

The Nuggets return to the playoff scene for the first time since the 2012-13 campaign, and they are giving up a tremendous edge in experience. The San Antonio Spurs secured a postseason berth for a 22nd consecutive season under head coach Gregg Popovich.

Nonetheless, talent wins games. The Nuggets' starting lineup features a rising star in center Nikola Jokic, who's arguably the best passing big man in the league. Denver also has multiple guards between the first and second units who can shoot from a distance, including Jamal Murray, Gary Harris, Will Barton and Malik Beasley.

Collectively, the Nuggets are still average from three-point territory in terms of shooting percentage (35 percent) and the number of triples made per contest (11); they rank 18th in both categories.

Denver's inability to pull away from San Antonio with three-point shooting will likely result in close contests. It's fair to expect Popovich to win late-game chess matchups against Mike Malone.

San Antonio will need to wrap up the series in six games against a club with the best home record in the league (34-7). If Popovich's group steals one of the first two outings at Pepsi Center, expect the Spurs to advance and play the Thunder in the semifinal round.

                    

Team to Watch: No. 2 Toronto Raptors

The Raptors fired Dwane Casey, the 2018 Coach of the Year, and brought in Nurse last summer. They added Kawhi Leonard along with Danny Green in exchange for DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl and a protected 2019 first-round pick in a blockbuster deal in July.

Despite the major changes and guard Kyle Lowry's drop-off in production, the Raptors haven't skipped a beat. Nurse has molded forward Pascal Siakam into a consistent contributor in the starting lineup; the 25-year-old is the second-leading scorer on the roster and averages 16.9 points and 6.9 rebounds per contest.

Nurse elaborated on Siakam's impressive growth through the 2018-19 campaign and why he deserves consideration for Most Improved Player, per Brian Mahoney of the Associated Press (h/t NBA.com).

"I don't know who else is even really up for it, who the voting's between, all that stuff. I know that if anybody's done more than this kid, has improved more, has impacted the team more and continued to improve from even geez, 20 games ago. He just keeps taking another step forward, there has been no steps back."

The Raptors acquired center Marc Gasol before the trade deadline. The 34-year-old's scoring average dropped from 15.7 to 9.1 points per game during his transition from the Memphis Grizzlies and Raptors. On a positive note, he's still a solid facilitator and efficient from the floor, shooting 47 percent.

Assuming both teams advance twice, the Raptors will face their toughest challenge in the Celtics. Nurse can go deep into his bench to match Boston's talented roster. Role players such as Green and Fred VanVleet can check into the game and change the complexion of the contest with their long-distance shooting.

Green knocked down 46 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc this season; VanVleet converts 38 percent from three-point territory and serves as a secondary distributor, averaging 4.8 assists per game.

This could be the year the Raptors break through the conference finals glass ceiling to represent the East in the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history.

The NBA postseason is finally here, and there is a different feel to the playoffs this year than usual. 

For the first time since the spring of 2005, LeBron James will not be in the NBA playoffs and new storylines not involving the face of the league can emerge. 

Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks have their chance to make a title run in a wide-open Eastern Conference that includes the Toronto Raptors, Philadelphia 76ers and the always interesting Boston Celtics.  

Of course, the Golden State Warriors are still here and are in search of their third straight NBA Finals championship and fourth in the last five years. 

The road will not be easy for the Warriors, who face robust competition in the Western Conference starting with the Los Angeles Clippers. The Houston Rockets came within a game of unseating the Warriors last year and teams like the up-and-coming Denver Nuggets, Portland Trail Blazers, Oklahoma City Thunder and Utah Jazz could all pose a threat. 

Nevertheless, here is the schedule and what to watch for in the first round of the NBA playoffs. 

             

NBA Playoff Start Dates:

April 13: First Round

April 29-30: Conference Semifinals (possible move up to April 27-28)

May 14-14: Conference Finals begin (possible move up to May 12-13)

May 30: NBA Finals begin

      

Eastern Conference

    

No. 1 Milwaukee Bucks vs. No. 8 Detroit Pistons

Game 1: Sun. April 14 Detroit at Milwaukee, 7 ET, TNT

Game 2: Wed. April 17 Detroit at Milwaukee, 8 ET, NBA TV

Game 3: Sat. April 20 Milwaukee at Detroit, 8 ET, ESPN

Game 4: Mon. April 22 Milwaukee at Detroit, 8 ET, TNT

*Game 5: Wed. April 24 Detroit at Milwaukee, TBD, TBD

*Game 6: Fri. April 26 Milwaukee at Detroit, TBD, TBD

*Game 7: Sun. April 28 Detroit at Milwaukee, TBD, TBD

No. 2 Toronto Raptors vs. No. 7 Orlando Magic

Game 1: Sat. April 13 Orlando at Toronto. 5 ET, ESPN

Game 2: Tues. April 16 Orlando at Toronto, 8 ET, TNT

Game 3: Fri. April 19 Toronto at Orlando, 7 ET, ESPN

Game 4: Sun. April 21 Toronto at Orlando, 7 ET, TNT

*Game 5: Tues. April 23 Orlando at Toronto, TBD, TBD

*Game 6: Thurs. April 25 Toronto at Orlando, TBD, TBD

*Game 7: Sat. April 27 Orlando at Toronto, TBD, TNT

No. 3 Philadelphia 76ers vs. No. 6 Brooklyn Nets

Game 1: Sat. April 13 Brooklyn at Philadelphia, 2:30 ET, ESPN

Game 2: Mon. April 15 Brooklyn at Philadelphia, 8 ET, TNT

Game 3: Thurs. April 18 Philadelphia at Brooklyn, 8 ET, TNT

Game 4: Sat. April 20 Philadelphia at Brooklyn, 3 ET, TNT

*Game 5: Tues. April 23 Brooklyn at Philadelphia TBD, TBD

*Game 6: Thurs. April 25 Philadelphia at Brooklyn TBD, TBD

*Game 7: Sat. April 27 Brooklyn at Philadelphia, TBD, TNT

No. 4 Boston Celtics vs. No. 5 Indiana Pacers

Game 1: Sun. April 14 Indiana at Boston, 1 ET, TNT

Game 2: Wed. April 17 Indiana at Boston, 7 ET, TNT

Game 3: Fri. April 19 Boston at Indiana, 8:30 ET, ABC

Game 4: Sun. April 21 Boston at Indiana, 1 ET, ABC

*Game 5: Wed. April 24 Indiana at Boston, TBD, TBD

*Game 6: Fri. April 26 Boston at Indiana, TBD, TBD

*Game 7: Sun. April 28 Indiana at Boston, TBD, TBD

            

Western Conference

No. 1 Golden State Warriors vs. No. 8 Los Angeles Clippers

Game 1: Sat. April 13 L.A. at Golden State, 8 ET, ABC

Game 2: Mon. April 15 L.A. at Golden State, 10:30 ET, TNT

Game 3: Thurs. April 18 Golden State at L.A., 10:30 ET, TNT

Game 4: Sun. April 21 Golden State at L.A., 3:30 ET, ABC

*Game 5: Wed. April 24 L.A. at Golden State, TBD, TBD

*Game 6: Fri. April 26 Golden State at L.A., TBD, TBD

*Game 7: Sun. April 28 L.A. at Golden State, TBD, TBD

No. 2 Denver Nuggets vs. No. 7 San Antonio Spurs

Game 1: Sat. April 13 San Antonio at Denver, 10:30 ET, ESPN

Game 2: Tues. April 16 San Antonio at Denver, 9 ET, NBA TV

Game 3: Thurs. April 18 Denver at San Antonio, 9 ET, NBA TV

Game 4: Sat. April 20 Denver at San Antonio, 5:30 ET, TNT

*Game 5: Tues. April 23 San Antonio at Denver, TBD, TBD

*Game 6: Thurs. April 25 Denver at San Antonio, TBD, TBD

*Game 7: Sat. April 27 San Antonio at Denver, TBD, TNT

No. 3 Portland Trail Blazers vs. No. 6 Oklahoma City Thunder

Game 1: Sun., April 14 Oklahoma City at Portland, 3:30 ET, ABC

Game 2: Tues. April 16 Oklahoma City at Portland, 10:30 ET, TNT

Game 3: Fri. April 19 Portland at Oklahoma City, 9:30 ET, ESPN

Game 4: Sun. April 21 Portland at Oklahoma City, 9:30 ET, TNT

*Game 5: Tues. April 23 Oklahoma City at Portland, TBD, TBD

*Game 6: Thurs. April 25 Portland at Oklahoma City, TBD, TBD

*Game 7: Sat. April 27 Oklahoma City at Portland, TBD, TNT

No. 4 Houston Rockets vs. No. 5 Utah Jazz

Game 1: Sun. April 14 Utah at Houston, 9:30 ET, TNT

Game 2: Wed. April 17 Utah at Houston, 9:30 ET, TNT

Game 3: Sat. April 20 Houston at Utah, 10:30 ET, ESPN

Game 4: Mon. April 22 Houston at Utah 10:30 ET, TNT

*Game 5: Wed. April 24 Utah at Houston, TBD, TBD

*Game 6: Fri. April 26 Houston at Utah, TBD, TBD

*Game 7: Sun. April 28 Utah at Houston, TBD, TBD

     

Live Stream: WatchESPN, Watch TNT, fuboTV

Series to Watch

The matchup between the Trail Blazers and Thunder is perhaps the most intriguing matchup in the first round. 

The two teams are on completely separate paths as they enter the postseason: the Trail Blazers enter winning 33 of their last 46 games while the Thunder stumble into the fray losers of 14 of their last 25. 

Yet it is the Thunder who had the edge over the Trail Blazers all season. 

Oklahoma City defeated Portland all four times they played each other this year—all close games—and the Trail Blazers will be without center Jusuf Nurkic due to season-ending surgery on his leg.

Both teams like to score—the Trail Blazers ranked seventh while the Thunder were eighth in points per game this season—but Oklahoma City, behind point guard Russell Westbrook, moves at a much faster pace and both teams have star scorers in Russell Westbrook, Paul George and Damian Lillard. 

George averaged 38 points, 10.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game against the Trail Blazers this season, while Westbrook averaged 29.5, 10 rebounds and 8.8 assists per game vs. Portland. 

Lillard averaged 34.8 points, 7.8 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game against the Thunder. 

The series may ultimately come down to turnovers, though. While the Trail Blazers have a better overall defense, the Thunder create more turnovers—leading the NBA with 9.3 steals per game—which contributes to their fastbreak offense that averages 18.1 points per game, fifth-best in the league. 

The Trail Blazers managed to keep their matchups against Oklahoma City close and if they can reduce turnovers and take advantage of home court they may have a shot, but that is easier said than done in a seven-game series.

       

All stats via Basketball-Reference.com