The Oklahoma City Thunder travel to Smoothie King Center in New Orleans for Game 3 of their Western Conference Playoff series against the New Orleans Pelicans. The number one seed Thunder hold a commanding 2-0 lead after dominating wins at home, but the Pelicans are slight underdogs on their home court. The Pelicans are pressured to avoid falling behind 0-3 in the series. They need to find a way to contain the scoring of Gilgeous-Alexander and Holmgren while generating more offense beyond McCollum and Ingram. The Thunder, on the other hand, will look to capitalize on their momentum and close out the series on the road.
New Orleans Pelicans
The Pelicans’ road to victory won’t be easy. Despite a brave effort in a tightly contested Game 1, they were blown away in Game 2. CJ McCollum led the Pelicans in scoring 20 points in Game 2, while Trey Murphy III had a team-high 21 points in Game 1. Jonas Valančiūnas has been a consistent presence on the boards, grabbing 20 rebounds in Game 2 to add to his 13 points. The Pelicans will need a more balanced scoring effort and a significant improvement on defense to have a chance of stealing a win on their home court.
Oklahoma City Thunder
The Thunder put on a masterclass in Game 2, dismantling the Pelicans 124-92. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the offensive leader with 33 points, but the dominance was a team effort. Rookie Chet Holmgren impressed with a 26-point, 7-rebound performance, and Jalen Williams chipped in with a well-rounded stat line of 21 points and seven assists. The Thunder’s defense continued to shine, holding the Pelicans under 95 points for the second consecutive game and forcing 18 turnovers.
Betting Odds
New Orleans Pelicans are 1.94 underdogs on the money line on 1XBET, with the favorites at a slight 1.86. Over 205.5 is priced at 1.63 odds on Betway, with the under available at 1.98. Oklahoma City Thunder is 2.50 for the -4.5 spread on Bet365, which lists Pelicans at 2.05 at a -2.5 spread. Read more here.
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