League Pass Game of the Day: Thunder vs. Trail Blazers (10 ET)

The Oklahoma City Thunder take on the Portland Trail Blazers in a Western Conference battle between two of the best defenses through the first two weeks of the 2025-26 campaign (Wednesday, 10 ET, League Pass). Here are five things you should know before tip.

1. Top defenses on display: Oklahoma City and Portland have been two of the toughest defenses throughout the NBA as we enter the third week of the season. The Thunder own the top defensive rating and net rating in their eight contests so far, while the Trail Blazers currently rank seventh by allowing 111.7 points per 100 possessions. Portland will rely on its defense and fast-paced offense in hopes of defeating OKC for the first time since April of 2021, as they’ve lost 16 straight regular-season outings against the defending champs.
2. Opposing styles on offense: Portland has been playing at a lightning-quick pace across its first seven games, helping the Blazers secure a 4-3 record going into Wednesday night’s matchup. Following their 16th-place finish in pace during the 2024-25 season (99.51), the ‘25-26 Blazers are third in that statistical category, as they run 104.86 possessions per 48 minutes and generate 16.4% of their offense through fastbreak points. The Thunder, on the other hand, rank in the bottom third of the league in pace, as they prefer to slow things down in the halfcourt while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander orchestrates the offense.
3. Portland leads NBA in steals: The Blazers have taken a page out of OKC’s dominant ‘24-25 season in which the Thunder led the league in steals at 10.3 per game. It’s a small sample size, but Portland stands alone at the top with 12.1 spg. Eight of their players are averaging at least one swipe a night, led by Matisse Thybulle’s 2.5 spg (tied for fourth), which helps the Blazers score 20.4% of their points off turnovers (first).
4. Jrue Holiday making a difference: At age 35 in his 17th professional campaign, Holiday has paid huge dividends for a young Portland squad that has been in flux at the point guard position since Damian Lillard was traded ahead of the 2023-24 season. He’s averaging 16.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 8.3 assists, 1.4 steals and 2.9 turnovers in 32.8 minutes a night, ranking eighth in assists before Tuesday night’s games. There’s still plenty of games left to be played this year, but 8.3 apg would represent a career-best figure for Holiday.
5. Deni Avdija becoming go-to scorer: Avdija enjoyed a breakout season during his first year in Portland in 24-25, and he’s off to an even better start through seven outings this season. The 24-year-old is doing it all for the Blazers, as he’s averaging 24.1 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 0.6 steals and 0.9 blocks over 32.9 minutes per contest. Avdija ranks 22nd in the NBA in scoring and is doing so efficiently, posting shooting splits of 49.1 / 37.8 / 82.4, and he’s coming off a season-high 33 points in Monday night’s loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.