OKC Thunder will take on the Trail Blazers in the last round of scrimmages tonight. Here we look at the match preview, team news and where you can watch the game.
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OKC Thunder will take on the Blazers tonight at 6 pm EST. The Thunder have beaten the likes of Celtics and 76ers in their scrimmages earlier this week.
The Blazers on the other hand have lost both the scrimmages to the Pacers and the Raptors. The Blazers were undone by the absence of Lillard during their game against the Raptors.
The Blazers were dealt a massive blow when superstar guard Damian Lillard sat out the scrimmage against the Raptors with a foot injury. The all-star is currently evaluated on a day-to-day basis. The Blazers will expect the likes of McCollum and veteran Carmelo Anthony to step up during the absence of Lillard.
Also Read: Celtics vs Rockets Scrimmage TV Schedule; Where to watch the NBA restart
All the teams have been smart enough to manage the minutes of their top-stars during the scrimmages. It shouldn’t be a surprise as no teams would want their stars to get injured during this part of the season.
On the flip side, this has allowed the bench players to leave a mark on the games. Expect the trend to continue tonight and the teams will also be hoping to fine-tune their lineups tonight before they resume their league campaigns.
Where to watch OKC Thunder vs Blazers Scrimmage on TV and Online?
Fans all across the world can watch the scrimmage on NBA TV with the help of their NBA League Pass. NBA TV is available on all platforms. The NBA League Pass can be bought on the NBA website or through their official app
Who’s ready for some Thunder basketball?
Friday 4pm: Web/App
Sunday 11am: Web/App
Tuesday 5pm: @FOXSportsOK pic.twitter.com/3xNHkEbwYZ— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) July 21, 2020
The game will be also be live on Fox Sports Oklahoma(this could be limited by geography).
Thunder vs Blazers Scrimmage Team News
Andre Roberson nailed back-to-back 3-pointers to give OKC the win against the 76ers after the Thunders seemed to have lost the plot despite the absence of Joel Embiid for the Sixers.
Chris Paul seems to be bringing back his old self, but will need to do a lot more if Thunder need to make a real surge for the NBA title.
Thunder available roster: Chris Paul, Andre Roberson, Denis Schroder, Steven Adams, Darius Bazley, Denote Burton, Diallo, Lugguentz, Dort, Terrance Ferguson, Danilo Gallinari, Shai Alexander, Devon Hall, Kevin Hervey, Mike Muscala, Nerlens Noel
Also Read: Raptors vs Suns Scrimmage TV Schedule; where to watch the NBA restart
The Blazers will hope that Lillard will be healthy enough to play their remaining league games. CJ McCollum led the Blazers with 21 points, while Yusuf Nurkic had 17 points and 13 rebounds against the Raptors. If Lillard is ruled out of tonight’s game too, the Blazers talisman will be extremely short of match practice come the seeding games.
Blazers need him to be firing on all cylinders, if they aspire to clinch that 8th spo
Blazers available roster: Damian Lillard**, CJ McCollum, Carmelo Anthony, Zach Collins, Jusuf Nurkic, Jaylen Adams, Wenyen Gabriel, Mario Hezonja, Jaylen Hoard, Simmons, Gary Trent
What to expect from both the teams heading into the restart?
The Blazers have a tough battle ahead to qualify for the playoffs and will hope that Lillard will be available when the league resumes on July 30. A tough race to the 8th spot awaits them and they won’t have any time to mess around when the league starts.
Also Read: Grizzlies vs Heat Scrimmage TV Schedule; where to watch the NBA restart
Lillard has made himself clear to his teammates that he is on a mission inside the bubble. The franchise star has been pretty vocal to his teammates about the task in hand and the superstar will hope to inspire the team to the playoffs.
The Thunders on the other hand sit have done well in the stacked western conference. The Chris Paul led side remain 5th in the rankings along with the Rockets. They would want to stay 5th at least, heading into the playoffs, as a higher seed will increase their chances of going deep into the playoffs.
The fixture however, is stacked for OKC Thunder, as they are slated to play the top 4 seeds in the West during their seeding games. Things could get a little tricky from her eon.
