3rd Quarter Report
The Thunder already have more points against the Pelicans than they managed in total against the Bucks last Sunday. The Thunder have jumped out to a 96-90 lead against the Pelicans. The Thunder took a big hit to their ego last Sunday, so a victory here would be a pleasant pick-me-up.
If the Thunder keep playing like this, they’ll bump their record up to 50-21 in no time. On the other hand, the Pelicans will have to make due with a 44-28 record unless they turn things around (and fast).
Who’s Playing
Oklahoma City Thunder @ New Orleans Pelicans
Current Records: Oklahoma City 49-21, New Orleans 44-27
How To Watch
- When: Tuesday, March 26, 2024 at 8 p.m. ET
- Where: Smoothie King Center — New Orleans, Louisiana
- TV: Bally Sports Oklahoma
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket Cost: $8.91
What to Know
The Pelicans have been on the road for four straight, but on Tuesday they’ll finally head home. They will take on the Oklahoma City Thunder at 8:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday. The Pelicans have been getting the ball to fall more lately as they’ve increased their point totals each of their last three games.
Last Sunday, New Orleans was able to grind out a solid win over the Pistons, taking the game 114-101.
Zion Williamson was nothing short of spectacular: he scored 36 points along with seven rebounds and six assists. He didn’t help the Pelicans’ cause all that much against the Heat on Friday but the same can’t be said for this contest. Less helpful for the Pelicans was Trey Murphy III’s abysmal 0-9 three-point shooting.
Meanwhile, after a string of four wins, the Thunder’s good fortune finally ran out on Sunday. Their painful 118-93 defeat to Milwaukee might stick with them for a while. The result shouldn’t come as a shock considering that’s the fewest points the Thunder have scored all season.
The Thunder’s loss shouldn’t obscure the performances of Josh Giddey, who shot 4-for-6 from downtown and almost dropped a double-double on 19 points and nine rebounds, and Jalen Williams who scored 18 points.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, the Thunder struggled to work together and finished the game with only 20 assists. They were crushed by their opponents in that department as the Bucks posted 33 assists.
New Orleans is on a roll lately: they’ve won five of their last six games, which provided a massive bump to their 44-27 record this season. As for Oklahoma City, their defeat ended a three-game streak of away wins and brought them to 49-21.
Some high-performance offense is likely on the agenda as both teams are some of the highest scoring teams in the league. The Pelicans haven’t had any problem running up the score this season, having averaged 115.7 points per game. However, it’s not like the Thunder (currently ranked fourth in scoring) struggle in that department as they’ve been averaging 120.3 points per game. With both teams so easily able to put up points, the only question left is who can run the score up higher.
The Pelicans are hoping to beat the odds on Tuesday, as the experts think they’re headed for a loss. Be careful betting them against the spread as while they’re 40-29-1 ATS overall, they’re only 3-7 against Oklahoma City in their most recent matchups.
Odds
Oklahoma City is a slight 1-point favorite against New Orleans, according to the latest NBA odds.
The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 1-point spread, and stayed right there.
The over/under is 222.5 points.
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Series History
New Orleans and Oklahoma City both have 5 wins in their last 10 games.
- Jan 26, 2024 – Oklahoma City 107 vs. New Orleans 83
- Nov 01, 2023 – New Orleans 110 vs. Oklahoma City 106
- Apr 12, 2023 – Oklahoma City 123 vs. New Orleans 118
- Mar 11, 2023 – Oklahoma City 110 vs. New Orleans 96
- Feb 13, 2023 – New Orleans 103 vs. Oklahoma City 100
- Dec 23, 2022 – New Orleans 128 vs. Oklahoma City 125
- Nov 28, 2022 – New Orleans 105 vs. Oklahoma City 101
- Dec 26, 2021 – Oklahoma City 117 vs. New Orleans 112
- Dec 15, 2021 – New Orleans 113 vs. Oklahoma City 110
- Nov 10, 2021 – Oklahoma City 108 vs. New Orleans 100
