New Orleans (0-1) at Oklahoma City (1-0)
When: Wednesday, April 24th 2024
Where: Paycom Center,
Oklahoma City, OK
Time: 9:30 ET | TV: TNT
Opening Odds: Oklahoma City -8/213.5
The Oklahoma City Thunder are looking to take a 2-0 series lead when they host the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night at Paycom Center. The Thunder have not taken a 2-0 series lead since a 2013 first-round series against the Houston Rockets when Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook were the stars of the team. In the Thunder’s 94-92 Game 1 win on Sunday, head coach Mark Daigneault used 11 players, of which nine of them played in the first quarter, showing how much depth Oklahoma City has.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren came up big offensively, but the contributions came from everyone. Rookie Cason Wallace was part of Daigneault’s closing lineup and frustrated the Pelicans’ CJ McCollum in the final possession. Without Zion Williamson, New Orleans needs more production from forward Brandon Ingram, who had 12 points while going 5-of-17 from the floor. The Pelicans still managed to cover the spread in yet another road game and are 7.5-pointer underdogs in Wednesday’s Game 2.
NEW ORLEANS PELICANS
Ingram was just 2-of-2 from the free-throw line in Game 1 after averaging 4.8 free-throw attempts per game in the regular season and needs to be more aggressive offensively. Zion Williamson missed the second Play-In game and Sunday’s Game 1 against Oklahoma City with a hamstring strain and will be out again Wednesday. The Pelicans shot just 38.5 percent overall in Game 1 and had just three games in the regular season with a lower shooting percentage. New Orleans was also just 1-of-7 from the field in the final 3:30, including four misses on the same possession with just over a minute remaining.
OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER
The Thunder have now won six games in a row dating back to the regular season and have held three of those opponents to under 100 points. Gilgeous-Alexander led the team with 28 points on Sunday and also had six rebounds and four assists. Jalen Williams logged a team-high 40 minutes and recorded 19 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals. Holmgren had a double-double with 15 points and 11 boards, while the bench scored 24 points.
Prediction:
The Thunder are going to win this series, but the Pelicans will be competitive. New Orleans is much better on the road, going 4-1 ATS in their last five away from home. Also, the road team is on an incredible 14-2 ATS run in this matchup. I’ll take the points here.
Check out who Bobby Babowski has on his Free NBA Picks page for today.
