Why OKC Thunder Should be Happy to Avoid Portland in First Round

The Thunder's first-round opponent won't be the Blazers after they secured the 7 seed on Tuesday.

Nov 23, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) moves past Portland Trail Blazers forward Toumani Camara (33) during the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Oklahoma City doesn’t know its first-round opponent yet, but it should be happy that its opponent won’t be Portland.

On Tuesday night, the NBA postseason tipped off with a pair of electric play-in games. After the Charlotte Hornets beat the Miami Heat in a thriller, the Portland Trail Blazers took out the Phoenix Suns on the road in another game that came down to the final possession.

With the Blazers’ win, they secured the No. 7 seed and a first-round matchup against the San Antonio Spurs. While Portland entered the contest at No. 8 in the standings, the Thunder might’ve avoided their toughest potential first-round matchup.

Sure, the Suns are still a tough team to face, but Portland could easily have been a tougher matchup in a playoff series. On paper, the Suns have the edge on the Blazers in most stats, but the individual matchups could have made a Blazers matchup a bit less appealing.

For starters, Donovan Clingan has been one of the top big men in the league all season and could have given Oklahoma City’s frontcourt some real issues in some key areas. Along with averaging 1.7 blocks a game as a solid defensive anchor, Clingan also led the league in offensive rebounds at 4.5 per game.

Portland also clearly has the edge in defensive matchups for the Thunder’s top perimeter players. Toumani Camara and Jrue Holiday gave Phoenix issues throughout the night and made some big plays in the clutch to secure a win. 

While the Suns have some solid defenders in Dillon Brooks and even Grayson Allen, those two are much more well-known for their antics on the floor than for any actual defensive prowess. Although Phoenix cracked the NBA’s top 10 defenses this season, its lack of individual matchups for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander should be a real concern for the Suns if they can secure the final playoff spot.

Of course, there’s still a chance that Oklahoma City will ultimately get one of its most favorable first-round matchups against either the LA Clippers or Golden State Warriors, which face off in the 9-10 game on Wednesday night. The winner of that matchup will head to Phoenix on Friday to battle for the 8 seed and a matchup with the Thunder.

Ultimately, the Thunder likely won’t have much trouble in the first round against any team they might face, including the Blazers, who are now set to face San Antonio. Still, avoiding a team that has some strengths where the Thunder have small weaknesses is something that could help make the first round just a bit easier.