The New Orleans Pelicans will look to avoid going down a 0-2 hole this Thursday against the Oklahoma City Thunder, That is going to be easier said than done, but they nearly pulled off an upset in enemy territory last Monday. Will the Pels tie the series up at 1-1? Or, will the Thunder strike again to get a commanding 2-0 series lead?

Catch this game live on Thursday, April 25, 2024 at 9:30 AM, Manila time

Away: New Orleans Pelicans (0-1)

Projected Starting Five:

  • CJ McCollum
  • Brandon Ingram
  • Trey Murphy III
  • Herbert Jones
  • Jonas Valanciunas

The Pelicans lost Game 1, 94-92, but they definitely gave Oklahoma City a major scare, as the contest went down to the wire. New Orleans also covered the spread, showing just how competitive this team can be versus the Thunder despite missing Zion Williamson. The burly Pelicans forward is still without Williamson, who is nursing a hamstring injury. The absence of Williamson significantly impacts New Orleans, especially on offense, but Trey Murphy has seemingly stepped up in lieu of the former Duke Blue Devils star. 

Murphy even led the Pels in Game 1 with 21 points with five 3-pointers. The Pels shot just 38.5 percent from the field but still lost by just a slim margin, so that can be taken as a good sign for New Orleans, which could potentially benefit from positive shooting regression in Game 2. The Pels are 4-0 against the spread in their last four games in OKC, dating back to 2022.

Advertisement

Home: Oklahoma City Thunder (1-0)

Projected Starting Five:

  • Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
  • Josh Giddey
  • Luguentz Dort
  • Jalen Williams
  • Chet Holmgren

Oklahoma City knows it can’t take even a Zion-less Pelicans lightly, and the Bolts got a major lesson about that in Game 1 as they barely escaped that contest with a victory. The Thunder were fortunate that they had Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to save the day for them in the clutch in the series opener. The MVP finalist scored five of the Thunder’s final six points. He finished with 28 points, six rebounds, and four assists, while Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren chipped in 19 and 15 points, respectively.

Holmgren had five of the Thunder’s seven blocks in the game, and his rim protection will continue to be a big asset for OKC. However, he’s going to need more support on the glass. He led the Thunder in Game 1 with 11 boards, but as a team, OKC only came away with 44 boards to 52 by the Thunder who also won the offensive rebounding battle, 18-8. The Thunder are 5-1 against the spread in their last six home games.

Picks

Spread: Oklahoma City Thunder  (-7.5)

Over/Under: Under (210.5)

Advertisement