Oklahoma City Thunder vs New Orleans Pelicans Prediction & Betting Tips - NBA

Prediction published on 24/04/2024, 03:22  by Joseph King | Modified on 24/04/2024 at 03:24 in NBA Predictions

The OKC Thunder host the New Orleans Pelicans for game two in the Western Conference playoffs first round. The Thunder were able to hold off the Pelicans in game one to grab the 94-92 win after CJ McCollum missed the go-ahead three-pointer at the buzzer. Neither team shot the ball well with both defenses showing what they are capable of. It was to be expected, as this series pits the teams ranked fourth (OKC) and sixth (New Orleans) in adjusted defensive rating against one another. With a 1-0 series lead, the Thunder will now attempt to protect home court before the series shifts to New Orleans for games three and four.

Oklahoma City come into game two riding a six-game winning streak after ending the regular season with five straight wins. The Thunder were expected to win game one by a comfortable margin yet almost found themselves trailing 1-0 coming into Wednesday’s matchup. They’ll have to improve on the glass if they are to avoid a potentially similar outcome here. The Thunder gave up 18 offensive rebounds while grabbing only eight of their own, leading to the Pelicans shooting 11 more field goals than OKC. The hosts will be able to lean on their strong home support as they racked up a 33-8 record in this building in the regular season.

There are a lot of positives the Pelicans can take from game one, even though they will ultimately be disappointed they weren’t able to get the win. New Orleans easily could have stolen away home court if it weren’t for a few crucial turnovers late on. As we previously mentioned, one of their biggest advantages was in the post and on the glass. Jonas Valanciunas was the catalyst for this dominance after the Lithuanian big man grabbed 20 rebounds and dropped 13 points despite seeing less than 30 minutes of court time.