The series heads to the Big Easy as the Oklahoma City Thunder hope to put the New Orleans Pelicans on the brink of elimination.

Catch the game this Sunday at 3:30 AM, Manila time.

AWAY: Oklahoma City Thunder (2-0)

Projected starting five:

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

After a shaky Game 1 win, which caused some stir that this 1 vs. 8 series may be closer than anticipated, the Thunder proceeded to dominate Game 2, 124-92.

As expected, the usual suspects are making the most noise. Top MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is at 30.5 points per game on 55.8% shooting in the series. Chet Holmgren (20.5 PPG) and Jalen Williams (20.0 PPG) are right behind him, while also boasting efficient percentages: 55.6% and 51.4%, respectively. We’re easily seeing why these youngins grabbed the number one seed in the West.

Josh Giddey has been quiet with 7.5 / 4.5 / 3.0 on only 16 minutes per game, but SGA, Holmgren, and Williams collectively have what it takes to lead OKC into a sweep, especially since Lu Dort and his defense are complementing them well.

HOME: New Orleans Pelicans (0-2)

Projected starting five:

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

The Pelicans fell flat in Game 2 after a rather solid Game 1. They went from being one shot away from stealing homecourt advantage to being down 0-2 and losing the recent game in a very one-sided action.

While five scored in double figures in the second contest, no one went above 19 points, which rings true to the team’s performance as it lacked any remarkable moment (no one is also averaging more than 17.5 PPG in the series).

Nevertheless, it’s just a two-zip lead and we’ve seen teams come back from such holes, some by backdoor sweeps even. There’s also no denying that whenever they’re on, CJ McCollum and Brandon Ingram can score with the best of them. Jonas Valanciunas, Herb Jones, and Trey Murphy III also form a good group as defensive guys who have an outside stroke, so who knows? JV actually scored the Pels’ first 11 points in Game 2.

PICKS:

Spread: Thunder (-1.5)

Over/Under: Over (209)