The New Orleans Pelicans (19-12, 6-8 Away), one of the NBA’s top scoring teams, are on the road to face the Oklahoma City Thunder (14-18, 9-7 Home) on Friday. New Orleans is playing the second of a back-to-back after beating the San Antonio Spurs 126-117 at Smoothie King Center yesterday. CJ McCollum was the standout player with 40 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds.
The Pelicans are trailing the Memphis Grizzlies by 1.5 games in the Western Conference, currently sitting in fourth. Oklahoma City won their third in a row in a close one on Wednesday at Paycom Center, beating the Portland Trail Blazers 101-98. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 27 points and six rebounds to lead the team.
The Thunder are the 12th seed in the Western Conference. This marks the last meeting of the season between the teams. New Orleans will be seeking a season sweep against Oklahoma City after taking the only previous meeting 105-101 at Smoothie King Center on November 28. Gilgeous-Alexander topped all players in scoring with 31 points and six rebounds in the losing effort.
Zion Williamson had 23 points, eight rebounds, eight assists, and three blocks for the Pelicans. The Pels have been led this season by Williamson, who is averaging 25.2 points per game. Meanwhile, Jonas Valanciunas is grabbing 9.4 rebounds per game, and McCollum is dishing 5.9 assists.
Gilgeous-Alexander’s 31.2 points per game have powered the Thunder on offense. He ranks as the third-highest scorer in the league. Gilgeous-Alexander also has doled out 5.7 assists per game.
Josh Giddey has pulled down 8.0 rebounds per game. The Pelicans are averaging 117.6 points per game, ranking as one of the top scoring offenses in the NBA (3rd).
The Pelicans have come up short in recent trips to Paycom Center, losing six of the last 10. New Orleans is looking to avoid a fourth straight road loss this season.
Oklahoma City is pursuing a fourth consecutive home win this season. Meanwhile, the Pelicans are 1-2 this season when playing two days in a row and 1-1 in such games against rested opponents.
The Thunder are 0-5 with a rest advantage.In the last 10 games, New Orleans is 6-4 with an average margin of +2.7 (118.7-116.0). Oklahoma City has split the last 10 (5-5), allowing 114.6 points per game on average while scoring only 113.1 (-1.5 margin).
PELICANS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
CJ McCollum: 40.0 | 30.4 | +9.6
Points per game:
CJ McCollum: 28.0 | 19.4 | +8.6
Rebounds per game:
Larry Nance Jr.: 7.3 | 5.8 | +1.5
Assists per game:
Zion Williamson: 7.3 | 4.7 | +2.5
THUNDER HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Kenrich Williams: 20.0 | 12.8 | +7.2
Tre Mann: 8.0 | 12.5 | -4.5
Points per game:
Aleksej Pokusevski: 6.4 | 8.7 | -2.3
SportsTips’ NBA Pick:
NO Pelicans (+115)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
