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Oklahoma City Thunder vs New Orleans Pelicans Prediction & Betting Tips - NBA
by Joseph King in NBA Predictions
The first seed OKC Thunder host the eighth seed New Orleans Pelicans for the first game of the Western Conference playoffs first round. It’s been a fantastic season for the Thunder who are well ahead of schedule with their talented young roster. After finishing two games below .500 last season in 10th-place, the expectation would have been to battle for a play-in spot or possibly the sixth seed. However, Oklahoma City would instead put together a 57-25 record and beat out the Nuggets on a tiebreaker to secure first-place in the West. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a legitimate MVP candidate and players like Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams have brought much more to the table than was initially expected. The Thunder come into this series off the back of a 135-86 blowout victory over the Mavericks to end the regular season. The win capped off a five-game winning streak in a stretch where the offense averaged a red-hot 124.0 points per game.
The Pelicans had to go through the gauntlet that is the play-in tournament to secure their spot in the postseason. After losing to the Lakers 110-106 in the seventh vs eighth game, the Pelicans would go on to defeat the Kings 105-98 to secure the eighth seed. New Orleans had to do this without their superstar Zion Williamson who was ruled out for the next few weeks after his 40-point performance against the Lakers in a losing effort. The visitors finished the regular season with a 49-33 record, a marked improvement over the team that finished two games above .500 last year. New Orleans was also the best road team in the NBA during the regular season and finished with a league high 28-14 record on their travels. They’ll hope that form carries over into the playoffs where they will attempt to steal home court advantage in these first two games.
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The Best Betting Odds for Oklahoma City Thunder v New Orleans Pelicans Match
| Bookmaker | 1 | 2 | Bonus up to |
|---|---|---|---|
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1.25 | 4.2 |
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1.21 | 3.9 |
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1.03 | 7.05 |
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1.03 | 7.05 |
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1.25 | 4 |
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Who will win the Oklahoma City Thunder vs New Orleans Pelicans Basketball game?
The best winner predictions and betting odds for the Oklahoma City Thunder vs New Orleans Pelicans game on 21/04/2024 of the current NBA season:
- Oklahoma City Thunder has a 53.68% chance to pick up the win against New Orleans Pelicans according to Bet365 ⭐ with the odds of 1.25.
- There is a probability of 46.32% ⭐ for New Orleans Pelicans to win vs Oklahoma City Thunder with odds of 7.05 at 1xbet.
Oklahoma City Thunder vs New Orleans Pelicans Form
Oklahoma City Thunder and New Orleans Pelicans Last Matches
5/6 (83%)
1/6 (17%)
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5/6 (83%)
1/6 (17%)
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3/6 (50%)
3/6 (50%)
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4/6 (67%)
2/6 (33%)
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1/6 (17%)
5/6 (83%)
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6/6 (100%)
0/6 (0%)
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Oklahoma City Thunder vs New Orleans Pelicans Stats: Head to Head (H2H)
67 %
33 %
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Oklahoma City Thunder - New Orleans Pelicans Key Points
- The Thunder are the more well-rested team after having seven days to recover compared to the Pelicans who last played on Friday.
- Oklahoma City won their last two meetings against New Orleans and secured the regular season series win 2-1.
- The hosts finished tied for the best home record in the Western Conference with 33 wins and only eight defeats.
- The Pelicans have failed to cover in two of their last three while the Thunder have covered the spread in their last four straight.
- OKC finished with a 27-14 against the spread record when playing as home favorites, the third-best mark in the NBA.
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Our Oklahoma City Thunder vs New Orleans Pelicans Prediction
The Pelicans now get ready to play their third game in the last six days while the Thunder come in with a full week’s rest. This is a dangerous spot for the Pels as they'll have a quick turnaround from the joy of securing their spot in the playoffs to now having to play the number one seed on the road. As a result, the visitors might just find themselves somewhat drained from their games in the play-in tournament. Back the Thunder to kick off this series with a statement win. Our OKC Thunder vs New Orleans Pelicans prediction is for the Thunder -8.5.
All tips are fully researched and given in good faith, but profits cannot be guaranteed.
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