The final pair of the Western Conference playoffs will be OKC Thunder vs. New Orleans Pelicans. The Pels have secured the eighth seed in the conference via play-in, while the Thunder ended up on the top of the West after a very intense finish of the year.
Before Betting on OKC Thunder vs. New Orleans Pelicans Series
Shai and the boys have been the refreshment of the campaign. The Thunder plays incredible basketball, very versatile on both ends of the floor. Don’t forget that most of their team is sub-25 years old. Gilgeous-Alexander drops 30.1 points per game, and shoots 53.5% from the field.
They’ve ended the season with five wins in a row, beating the Kings, Bucks, and Mavs, among others. What separates the Thunder from other teams is their average of 120.1 points per game, the third-highest average in the league. Also, they hit 49.9% of shots from the field, the second-best in the NBA.
The Pelicans have been under the radar this season. They are eighth in the West but have only eight wins fewer than the Thunder, 49-33. We need to say that the injuries hurt this unit and lowered its position in the standings. Zion’s health is still shaky, and as we have stated so many times in the past, he is more of a liability than a weapon. For instance, he missed the second play-in game and won’t be eligible to play the opening part of the series.
So, Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum will do the majority of the work. They both average 20+ points—20.8 and 20, respectively. Jonas Valanciunas’ contribution will be important as well. The big guy from Lithuania has 12.2 points and 8.8 boards each night.
OKC Thunder vs. New Orleans Pelicans Head to Head
Pelicans won the opening game of the seasonal series, 110-106 in OKC. The latter two ended in Thunder’s favor, 107-83 and 119-112, both in Big Easy.
OKC Thunder vs. New Orleans Pelicans NBA Offshore Betting Odds
The Thunder seem like a more dynamic team with more offensive solutions. Also, they have plenty of players who are able to play tough defense, so our pick here is to see OKC in the second round after five games.
