The Oklahoma City Thunder can only go up from here.
The worst loss of the entire season was handed to the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday night, collapsing in the second half and scoring under 100 points for the first time since October 29. Every game counts in the race for the coveted number 1 seed in the Western Conference, with the loss dropping the Thunder to second place.
The New Orleans Pelicans, another formidable opponent, prevent Oklahoma City from regaining its position and the 50-win mark.
With their star small forward, Brandon Ingram, out for the next few weeks with a knee injury, Zion Williamson still takes the reigns as the dominant scorer down low. He’s averaging about 23 points, six rebounds and five assists, while largely avoiding the injuries that have blighted his career thus far.
As much as the Thunder would like to escape The Big Easy with a win, the Pelicans will have enough juice to prevent that from happening.
ODDS:
The Thunder enter the day as a 1.5-point favorite over the Pelicans, and the plus/minus total is 226.5 points.
KEYS TO THE GAME:
Oklahoma City has only seen New Orleans twice this season, splitting both games one win a piece.
The Thunder’s loss came early in the season, where CJ McCollum and Zion Williamson combined for a dominant total of 49 points. Victory came again in January, but this time the Pelicans were without Williamson. Neither game really says where either team stands right now, but with Ingram’s absence, tonight can’t really be either.
Both teams rank in the top 10 in the league in offensive and defensive rating and are two of the best 3-point shooting teams. New Orleans has plenty of options for spacing the floor.
Williamson – like McCollum and Herbert Jones – is the same way Oklahoma City runs its roster around Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Williamson is a bulldozer in the paint, so the matchup between him and Chet Holmgren will be one to consider. Giannis Antetokounmpo shares a similar ability to get to the basket as Williamson, which caused plenty of problems for the rookie on Sunday night. Unless he can manage the game better, Williamson’s dominance alone could keep the Thunder from winning.
FILES:
Oklahoma City Thunder (49-21) vs. New Orleans Pelicans (44-27)
INJURIES:
Check out our live injury trackingas well as our match day injury report which will be released later today.
WHEN:
Tuesday, March 26, at 7 p.m. CT
LOCATION:
Smoothie King Center – New Orleans, LA
Television/Radio:
NBA League Pass, 98.1 FM The Sports Animal
Live Stream: fuboTV (Start your free trial)
LAST WORD:
Tuesday night could be a taste of the playoffs if both teams can find their way out of the first round, and they would also like to pick up a victory as the standings become critically important.
Oklahoma City will return home to meet the Houston Rockets for the final time of the season on Wednesday, March 27 at 7 p.m. CT.
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