The Oklahoma City Thunder completely controlled Games 2 and 3 of their playoff series against the New Orleans Pelicans.
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The Oklahoma City Thunder completely controlled Games 2 and 3 of their playoff series against the New Orleans Pelicans. With a 3-0 lead, the top-seeded Thunder are aiming to sweep the No. 8 Pelicans in Game 4 on Monday night in New Orleans and secure their spot in the Western Conference semifinals.
In Game 2, OKC initially trailed 14-12 but then went on a 21-6 run to seize control, ultimately cruising to a 32-point win. In Game 3, the Thunder held just a one-point lead with around 4 1/2 minutes remaining in the second quarter. However, they then scored 15 consecutive points to establish dominance, ultimately securing a 21-point victory.
As OKC has stepped up their game in the last two matchups, they’ve also shown improvement as the series has gone on. In Game 1, the Thunder had to weather a last-second missed jumper by New Orleans’ CJ McCollum to secure a narrow two-point victory. However, since then, they’ve outscored the Pelicans 230-177.
For the Pelicans, Williamson will not be playing the game and Robinson is questionable. As for the Thunder, Sarr will sit this one out.
Gilgeous-Alexander led the scoring with 24 points in Game 3, but he had plenty of support. Jalen Williams and Josh Giddey also contributed with 21 points each. Despite scoring just 12 points overall, Luguentz Dort made a significant impact by sinking three consecutive 3-pointers during the Thunder’s takeover in the second quarter.
Dort has been on fire from beyond the arc, making 10 out of 18 3-point attempts in the series. Plus, he’s been playing stellar defense against Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram. With Zion Williamson out due to a hamstring injury, Ingram is New Orleans’ primary scoring option, but he’s been struggling, averaging just 16.3 points and shooting 41.5 percent from the floor in the series.
The Pelicans’ offensive woes aren’t just limited to Ingram, though. The whole team is shooting poorly, hitting just 40.3 percent from the field and 27.8 percent from 3-point range throughout the series.
New Orleans coach Willie Green kept his message simple for his team as they aim to achieve something no NBA team has ever done before—coming back from a 3-0 deficit to win a playoff series.
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