The Oklahoma City Thunder really had to work for it to snatch the win in their first-round series opener against the New Orleans Pelicans.
Follow Us
The Oklahoma City Thunder, who were the top seeds, really had to work for it to snatch the win in their first-round series opener against the New Orleans Pelicans. But in Game 2, they made it look easy, totally dominating the Pelicans with a score of 124-92 on Wednesday night. Now, the Pelicans, who are seeded eighth, are hoping to turn things around on their home turf in Game 3 of the series, which is set for Saturday afternoon.
The Thunder pretty much nailed it in Game 2, shooting a solid 59.0 percent from the floor and sinking 14 out of 29 attempts from beyond the arc. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the charge with 33 points, Chet Holmgren chipped in 26, and Jalen Williams contributed 21.
Oklahoma City’s defense was on point in both games, holding New Orleans to fewer than 100 points in back-to-back games, which only happened once before this season. In Game 2, the Pelicans managed to shoot just 45.2 percent from the floor (with 7 out of 26 from beyond the arc), and the Thunder capitalized on 18 turnovers from New Orleans, scoring 22 points off them.
For the Pelicans, Williamson will not be playing the game. As for the Thunder, Sarr will sit this one out.
Brandon Ingram has been putting up an average of 15.0 points, but he’s been struggling, shooting only 37.0 percent from the floor in the first two games. The Pelicans are missing their top scorer, Zion Williamson, due to injury. CJ McCollum, the third-highest scorer, has been scoring an average of 17.5 points, but he’s been having a rough time from beyond the arc, making only 3 out of 14 attempts.
In Game 2, center Jonas Valanciunas came out strong, scoring New Orleans’ first 11 points. However, he only managed to add eight more points as Holmgren, his 7-foot opponent, shifted the momentum in the matchup.
New Orleans, boasting the best road record in the NBA with 28-14, hit a rough patch at home, losing six consecutive games before finally breaking the streak with a win against Sacramento in a play-in elimination game. On the other hand, Oklahoma City, with eight more wins than the Pelicans in the regular season, held a strong 24-17 record away from home. The Thunder showed their dominance at New Orleans during the regular season, taking both games with victories of 107-83 on Jan. 26 and 119-112 on March 26.
Get the latest from Sportslumo.com by following us on Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube
