PREVIEW: The Portland Trail Blazers (13-19, 10th in the Western Conference) travel to face the Oklahoma City Thunder (28-5, first in the Western Conference) in what shapes up as a significant mismatch on Wednesday night. Portland confronts a daunting offensive challenge against Oklahoma City's high-octane attack, while the Thunder's home-court advantage figures to play a pivotal role. The Thunder currently sit 14 games ahead of the Blazers in the Western Conference standings , a gap that reflects the vast difference in how these teams have performed this season. OKC comes in riding momentum after a dominant 140-129 victory over Atlanta, while Portland has lost its last two matchups with Oklahoma City, including a 27-point defeat in their previous meeting in this arena. The Thunder have established themselves playing at a brisk pace centered on quick transitions and pick-and-roll sets, mixing drop coverage with defensive switching to disrupt opponents. Portland, meanwhile, prefers a slower tempo built around ball movement and spacing, though inconsistent shooting and rim protection struggles have plagued their defense against fast-paced offenses like Oklahoma City's. Look for Thunder stars Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (32.2 PPG), Chet Holmgren (18.5 PPG), and Jalen Williams (17.5 PPG) to test Portland's perimeter and interior defenses. The Blazers will lean heavily on Deni Avdija (25.6 PPG) and Shaedon Sharpe (22.1 PPG) to generate offense, but they face a formidable challenge against one of the league's most suffocating defenses.