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Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers (53-29; 1-0) already accomplished something in Game 1 against the Oklahoma City Thunder (49-33; 0-1) they didn’t in last year’s postseason; a victory. The Trail Blazers attempt to take a 2-0 series lead to Oklahoma City when they host the Thunder in Game 2 of their Western Conference First Round series at Moda Center on Tuesday night.
The game is scheduled to start at 10:30 p.m. ET and will be televised on TNT. If you want to watch a live stream of the game, you can do so via one of the following cable-free, live-TV streaming services:
TNT is one of 85-plus live TV channels included in the main FuboTV bundle, which is largely tailored towards sports.
You can start a free 7-day trial of FuboTV right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the game on your computer via the FuboTV website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast or other supported device via the FuboTV app.
If you can’t watch live, FuboTV comes with 30 hours of cloud DVR space, as well as a 72-hour look-back feature, which allows you to watch the game (and other programs) on-demand within three days of its conclusion, even if you don’t record it.
In addition to a Netflix-like on-demand streaming library, Hulu also offers a bundle of 60-plus live TV channels, including TNT.
You can sign up for “Hulu with Live TV” right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the game on your computer via the Hulu website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Echo Show, or other streaming device via the Hulu app.
If you can’t watch live, Hulu With Live TV comes with 50 hours of cloud DVR space, as well as the option to upgrade to “Enhanced Cloud DVR,” which gives you 200 hours of space and the ability to fast-forward through commercials.
PS Vue–which doesn’t require an actual PlayStation console to sign up or watch–offers four different live-TV channel packages, all of which include TNT.
You can start a free 5-day trial of PS Vue right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the game on your computer via the PS Vue website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, PlayStation (3 or 4), or other supported device via the PS Vue app.
If you can’t watch live, PS Vue comes with cloud DVR.
Thunder vs Blazers Game 2 Preview
After being swept as a No. 3 seed last season by Anthony Davis and the New Orleans Pelicans, the Trail Blazers opened with a Game 1 win, as Lillard led the team with a game-high 30 points, closing out the Thunder 104-99 despite six turnovers. Midseason acquisition Enes Kanter, who was bought out by the New York Knicks, shockingly put his defensive shortcomings aside to record an impressive double-double (20 points, 18 rebounds; +15) in 34 minutes. CJ McCollum also added 24 points for Portland.
After missing the Thunder’s regular-season finale against the Milwaukee Bucks, Paul George dressed and played in Game 1 despite a lingering shoulder injury. George was noticeable, scoring a team-high 26 points, but not nearly as effective as he should have been (8-of-24 shooting). Also, head coach Billy Donovan, inexplicably, decided to roll with PG for 43 minutes instead of limiting his time.
George practiced in full on Monday for the Thunder, and told reporters he should be feeling significantly better heading into Game 2 on Tuesday:
“Shoulder’s good. I’m pain-free. It’s well enough now to throw out any injury problems (as an excuse). It didn’t have an effect on my game. I just hadn’t shot or picked up a ball for four days. It was about rhythm. I had a good day out there today. I feel good about it.”
Russell Westbrook, quietly went about his business in Game 1, racking up yet another triple-double (24 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists) in a losing effort. Westbrook, however, played only 38 minutes, in comparison to star teammate George’s 48. Key reserve guard Dennis Schroder also played key minutes in Game 1, racking up 36 while finishing with 11 points off the bench.
Where Oklahoma City can improve, which ultimately could decide the series, is shooting from beyond the arc. The Thunder shot a paltry 15.2% from three in Game 1, hitting only five of 33 total attempts. For comparison, the Trail Blazers made 11 as a team, with Lillard matching the entire Thunder output (5-of-11) on his own.
Since arriving in Portland prior to the 2012-13 season, Terry Stotts has only won two playoff series. The Trail Blazers were knocked out in the Second Round by the San Antonio Spurs and Golden State Warriors in 2013-14 and 2015-16 respectively. In what seems like the final year of the Trail Blazers’ current core group of players, they will need to make good and win back-to-back postseason games for the first time in three years.