Can Thunder remain among undefeated teams?
Nearly a week into the NBA season the Thunder is one of only seven undefeated teams. All seven play on Sunday. How many will still be undefeated at the end of the day? My daily predictions say five.
Will the Thunder be one of the five?
Portland won 54 games last season. Over the long haul no one would pick the Thunder to finish in front of the Trail Blazers in the standings. But at this point and time Oklahoma City is playing better basketball, is playing at home tonight, and Portland is playing a back-to-back which can be very challenging.
Following a loss to Houston Saturday night, the Trail Blzaers visit the Ford Center. Portland, 1-2, hasn’t played well its last two games, losing at home to Denver and Saturday to the Rockets.
Thunder 102, Portland 98: The key could boil down to how the Thunder fares defensively against LaMarcus Aldridge, who is a nightmare matchup for OKC.
Aldridge was avearging only 10.0 points before scoring 27 in the loss Saturday night. If the Thunder holds the former Texas star to his current average of 15.3 they’ll have a great shot at starting the season 3-0. They should win even if they hold Alrdidge to 20 or less and not let Rudy Fernandez go crazy off the bench.
In other games, where my picks are actually improving:
LA Lakers 100, Atlanta 92: Here’s where one of the undefeated teams could suffer its first loss. Surprisingly, it’s not the Lakers, who looked horrible in a home loss to Dallas Friday night. The Hawks, 2-0, have played well early but the Lakers should be amped up. Talk of the Lakers possibly starting 20-1, a prediction made by TNT’s analysts, looks crazy.
Toronto 95, Orlando 91: The Raptors, having beaten the Cavs at home, could knock another team from the unbeaten ranks. The Magic, though, is very capable of staying undefeated. Should be a good game.
Boston 98, New Orleans 86: The Celtics are one of the Undefeated Seven but the Hornets are a long shot, especially with the game in Boston. The Celtics have looked like the league’s best team. The Hornets haven’t played well.
Miami 96, Chicago 90: The Heat is one of the Undefeated Seven. But similar to the Celtics-Hornets, Miami should remain undefeated at home. Dwyane Wade has been getting some help from Michael Beasley and others during a 2-0 start.
Denver 106, Memphis 93: The Nuggets are are among the Undefeated Seven. But similar to the Celtics and Heat, Denver should roll in its home opener. Carmelo Anthony is off to a terrific start.
Phoenix 100, Minnesota 88: The theme continues. An undefeated team at home should stay undefeated. The Suns haven’t dazzled early but are 2-0, finding ways to win.
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