New Orleans Pelicans vs Oklahoma City Thunder Predictions and Odds: 2023 NBA Playoffs

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The New Orleans Pelicans went on a 7-3 run to finish the regular season and find a place in the Play-In tournament. They will have a chance to move one game away from a Playoff berth when the host the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night.

Prediction 1

New Orleans Pelicans -5.5

10/11 (-110)

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Prediction 2

Gilgeous-Alexander Over 32.5 Points

4/5 (-125)

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These odds from William Hill were correct at the time of writing.

Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune/TNS/ Photo by Icon sport

New Orleans Pelicans vs Oklahoma City Thunder – Game Predictions

Contents

1 New Orleans Pelicans vs Oklahoma City Thunder – Game Predictions
- 1.1 Prediction 1: New Orleans Pelicans to Cover the Spread (-5.5)
- 1.2 Prediction 2: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Over 32.5 Points
2 Pelicans vs Thunder Preview – Does the Thunder have any chance?
3 New Orleans Pelicans vs Oklahoma City Thunder Game Details

Both teams came into the season with different ambitions but here they are going against each other in the hope that they will make to the Playoffs. The absence of Zion Williamson is something the Pelicans cannot compensate but they are still the favorites in this game.

Prediction 1: New Orleans Pelicans to Cover the Spread (-5.5)

The New Orleans Pelicans have been all over the place this season and it seems like they have what they need to make it to the Playoffs. They are starting the Play-In tournament with a home game against the young Thunder team. Zion Williamson has still not recovered from his injury, but the Pelicans are not an one-man team. Cj McCollum and Jonas Valanciunas are experienced players with a lot of Playoff basketball in their resume. Brandon Ingram has not so many important games under his belt but is the best scorer on the team from the Big Easy. When it comes to the Thunder, they are all about Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who is not a player who can take the Thunder over the Pels. The experience will play a big role in this one and the Pelicans will end up on top covering the -5.5-point spread.

Prediction 2: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Over 32.5 Points

The Thunder are a young team with no players with a significant or any Playoff experience. Shooting guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the leader of the team and he is coming off a great season. He made his All-Star debut earlier this year and finished the regular season as the fourth-best scorer in the league by averaging 31.4 points per game. The total point margin on him is set a little higher than that, at 32.5 points. The only way the Thunder will have a chance in this game is if Gilgeous-Alexander have an epic performance. He will definitely take the ball and shoot a lot which will take him over the given margin.

Pelicans vs Thunder Preview – Does the Thunder have any chance?

The Thunder had a couple of great road wins this season, like the one against the Los Angeles Lakers when LeBron James set the all-time scoring record or previously against the Philadelphia 76ers. It will not take a miracle for the Thunder to win in this one, but still, that is pretty unlikely to happen.

New Orleans Pelicans

The Pelicans had many ups and downs during the season. At one point, they were on top of the Western Conference but then Zion Williamson went down with an injury and the Pels lost nine in a row. That saw him dropping to the 12th place in the conference but with a strong finish, the Pelicans managed to hold their chances for the Playoffs.

Oklahoma City Thunder

No one really expected the Thunder to even be in the Playoff conversation, but this young team fully deserved their chance. The second overall pick from the last NBA Draft Chat Holmgren had a season-ending injury before his NBA debut but the Thunder still recovered and proved they are a respectable team. Finishing ahead of the Dallas Mavericks and the Portland Trail Blazers is something on one could have predicted.

Pelicans vs Thunder Head to Head Record In 2023

The Pelicans won the regular season series against the Bulls by 3-1. The Pels won the first three games of the regular season series and the Thunder got their win against New Orleans exactly a month ago.