NEW ORLEANS @ OKLAHOMA CITY (OKC -7.5, 210.5)
NBA ODDS, NBA PREDICTIONS, NBA PREVIEWS
JA CAVALIER REVIEWS
PELICANS VS. THUNDER 4/24/24
NBA head coach Mark Daigneault of the Oklahoma City Thunder is not showing any signs of cutting his rotation during his first postseason as a player. During the regular season, Daigneault showed a reputation for delving deeply into the roster and constantly adjusting his player usage. Daigneault used 11 players in the Thunder's 94-92 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans in their playoff debut. In the first quarter, he used nine.
When the Thunder play the Pelicans tonight in Oklahoma City in Game 2 of their best-of-seven Western Conference playoff series, Daigneault expects to continue showcasing the depth of his team. The contributions came from far beyond the Thunder's core players, even though Shai Gilgeous-Alexander made the crucial late shots and Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren had significant offensive games.
In the last possession, rookie Cason Wallace, who was a part of Daigneault's closing lineup, frustrated CJ McCollum of the Pelicans. After deflecting the ball once, he prevented McCollum from getting a closer look at his possible game-winning play.
For the first time since a first-round series against the Houston Rockets in 2013, when Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook were leading the way, the Thunder are attempting to take a 2-0 lead in a postseason series.
In Zion Williamson's absence, forward Brandon Ingram, who scored 12 points on 5-of-17 shooting on Sunday, needs to put up more effort for New Orleans. After averaging 4.8 free throw attempts per game during the regular season, Ingram was only 2-of-2 from the free-throw line in the first game of the series.
Williamson, who has missed the previous two games due to a hamstring strain, will be sidelined again on Wednesday. However, he did say that a postseason return is still possible.
In Game 1, the Pelicans only shot 38.5 percent overall. During the regular season, New Orleans only played three games with a lower shooting percentage. In the final 3:30 of the game, New Orleans was just 1-of-7 from the field, including four misses on one possession.
Oklahoma City is now 6-0 SU in its last six games and they have covered four of their last five. The Pelicans are 6-13 ATS in their last 19 games against the Thunder.
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FREE PICK: JOSH GIDDEY OVER 20.5 PRA
Giddey was pretty much nonexistent in Game 1. He played 20 minutes and scored just two points. However, for the season, Giddey’s PRA numbers added up to 23.5 per game. He hit this number in five of his last six games and even had three double-doubles and one triple-double. The key will be Giddey playing closer (or over) his average of 25 minutes per game. In his last 10 games where he played at least 25 minutes, Giddey has gone Over this PRA number nine times.
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