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The Oklahoma City Thunder test the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center on Thursday night.
The Thunder head to the Big Easy with back to back losses in their resume. OKC lost to the San Antonio Spurs one game after the Boston Celtics snapped their five-game winning streak. The Thunder have beaten the Pelicans in their first three head to head meetings this season but this will be the first time they will face Zion Williamson. Williamson was recovering from a knee injury when these teams played their previous three encounters. The Pelicans have won five out of their last seven games with Zion starting to assert his might. New Orleans defeated the Portland Trail Blazers in their last home game.
Back to Back Losses
After the Boston Celtics snapped their five-game winning streak, the Oklahoma City Thunder were supposed to rebound against the struggling San Antonio Spurs at the Chesapeake Energy Arena. However, the Thunder started slow, fell behind early and could not overcome San Antonio’s lead. The Spurs ended up beating the Thunder 114-106 on Tuesday night.
Chris Paul led the Thunder with 31 points and 7 assists while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 17 points on 6-11 shooting from the floor. Steven Adams had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds but Danilo Gallinari struggled on 4-16 shooting and finished with only 15 points against the Spurs.
The Thunder rank 18th in the league in scoring at 110.4 points per game this season. They are 23rd overall in rebounding at 43.1 boards grabbed per contest and are 27th in passing at 21.9 assists per outing. Oklahoma City has the 10th best scoring defense in the NBA this season at 107.9 points per game allowed.
Zion Going Off
The New Orleans Pelicans had a slow start to their season with top rookie Zion Williamson recovering from a knee injury. But since his return, the Pelicans have looked much better. After playing restricted minutes in his first two NBA games ( which they lost ), Zion has been going off. Williamson has scored at least 20 points in his last five outings and the Pelicans have won five out of their last seven games played.
Zion is coming off a career-high 31 points against the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday night. J.J. Redick scored 20 points in that game while starting point guard Jrue Holiday posted a double-double with 16 points and 10 assists. Josh Hart added 17 points and six boards for the Pelicans who played without Kenrich Williams and Brandon Ingram.
The Pelicans are the 4th highest-scoring team in the league at 115.7 points per game on the year. They are 5th off the glass with an average of 46.6 rebounds per game and 6th in passing at 26.2 assists per contest. Defense has been their issue as New Orleans has allowed 117.2 points per game this season, third-worst in the league.
Who Wins?
Oklahoma City is 9-3 SU in their last 12 games played. The Thunder are 4-0 SU in their last four games played on the road. New Orleans is 6-2 SU in their last eight games played. The Pelicans are 3-3 SU in their last six games played at home, 5-2 SU in their last seven games against the Northwest Division, and 7-1 SU in their last eight Thursday games. Head to head, the Thunder are 6-4 SU in their last 10 games played against the Pelicans.
The Thunder head to New Orleans with back to back losses. After losing to the Boston Celtics, OKC was supposed to bounce back at home against the Spurs. But after scoring just 14 points in the first period, they spent the rest of the game playing catch-up. Now they hit the road and face Zion Williamson for the first time.
New Orleans has played better since Williamson’s return. After losing their first two games with their prized rookie playing on restricted minutes, the Pelicans have won five out of their last seven games with Zion unleashed. Williamson has scored at least 20 points in each of his last five games played and is coming off a career night against the Blazers.
OKC won the first three head to head games between these teams this season but Williamson wasn’t in any of those games. Sure, the Thunder plays good defense and is a physical team but Williamson and the Pelicans are on a roll right now. Playing at home adds value to New Orleans.
Prediction: New Orleans Pelicans
Other Bets to Make
The Thunder are 8-4 ATS in their last 12 games played. Oklahoma City is 12-0 ATS in their last 12 games played on the road, and 9-3 ATS in their last 12 games played against the Western Conference. The Pelicans are 13-5-1 ATS in their last 19 games played. New Orleans is 9-3 ATS in their last 12 games played at home, and 10-3-1 ATS in their last 14 games played against the Western Conference. Head to head, these two teams have split their last 10 meetings at 5-5 ATS. However, the Thunder have covered in each of the last three games between these two teams.
Thunder
+3 (-108)
Pelicans
-3 (-112)
Odds from BetOnline as of 02/13/20
The Thunder have won their last three matches against the Pelicans but the last two were decided by five or fewer points. I expect another close game between these two teams but I will give the edge to the Pelicans here because Zion Williamson has been playing well as of late and is coming off a career-high 31 points against the Blazers. It’s worth noting that Zion didn’t play in the previous three meetings and I think he will be the difference-maker here. New Orleans has looked good with their prized rookie on the floor.
Prediction: Pelicans -3
The total has gone under in three out of the last five games played by the Thunder. The under is 15-10 in OKC’s 25 road games played this season, and 6-1 in their last seven games against the Southwest Division. The total has gone over in 15 out of the last 20 games played by the Pelicans. The over is 12-7 in their 19 games against the Western Conference this season. Head to head the total has gone under in six out of the last nine meetings between these two teams. The over is 7-3 in their last 10 meetings in New Orleans.
Over
234 (-108)
Under
234 (-112)
Odds from BetOnline as of 02/13/20
The Thunder have not allowed more than 114 points in their last 10 outings and they have held their opponents to 107 or fewer points in six out of their last eight games played. The Pelicans have found success in high-scoring games. They have won six out of their last eight games by scoring 123 or more points during their victories The Pelicans also don’t play much defense at all as they have given up at least 117 points in their last five outings. The last three games between these teams were won by the Thunder with the total hitting under. For New Orleans to win, they must force the Thunder to engage in a track meet.
Prediction: Over 234
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