2024 NBA Playoffs Preview: Oklahoma City Thunder – New Orleans Pelicans: The Oklahoma City Thunder will play against the New Orleans Pelicans in the NBA Playoffs. Reminder, the New Orleans Pelicans defeated the Sacramento Kings in the play-in.
The New Orleans Pelicans finished the season in eighth place in the Western Conference standings with a record of 49-33. On their way to the playoff position, they had to win one of the potentially two play-in games. Consequently, after losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in the battle for the seventh spot, a win against the Sacramento Kings was essential for a successful season.
On the other hand, the Oklahoma City Thunder has been playing exceptionally well for quite some time, as evidenced by their first-place position in the Western Conference standings before the start of the playoffs (57-25, the same record as the Denver Nuggets). When everything is summed up, there’s no doubt that Mark Daigneault‘s team is the biggest surprise of the NBA season.
It’s clear that the role of the favorite at the start of the playoff series belongs to the Oklahoma City Thunder. On the other hand, there is reason for hope, given that their opponent is one of the youngest teams in the league (average age of 25.4 years), so it’s not impossible for the Oklahoma City Thunder to underperform in the playoffs.
Oklahoma City Thunder vs New Orleans Pelicans – H2H
Given that the Oklahoma City Thunder franchise has existed since 2008 (successors to the Seattle SuperSonics), the chances for playoff games against the New Orleans Pelicans were slim.
Oklahoma City Thunder and New Orleans Pelicans have had the opportunity to play each other 74 times so far, and the final score indicates that the Oklahoma City Thunder has proven to be the better team (42 wins compared to 32 for the opponent).
It’s interesting to note that the Oklahoma City Thunder has played four seasons without a loss against the Pelicans. The New Orleans Pelicans managed to record all four wins against the Oklahoma City Thunder only in the 2008/2009 season, while the Thunder achieved this in the 2011/2012, 2012/2013, 2016/2017, and 2019/20 seasons.
This season head-to-head
- Oklahoma City Thunder vs New Orleans Pelicans – 106:110
- New Orleans Pelicans vs Oklahoma City Thunder – 83:107
- New Orleans Pelicans vs Oklahoma City Thunder – 112:119
Oklahoma City Thunder Strenghts and Weaknesses
- Strenghts – The Oklahoma City Thunder has one of the youngest teams in the NBA, and what characterizes them throughout the season is their high energy on both ends of the court. The alpha and omega of the team is one of the best players in the entire league, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The Canadian national team member with averages of 30.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 6.2 assists per game is among the top candidates for the MVP award.
When you have the third-best offensive rating at the end of the regular season (119.5) along with the fourth-best defensive rating (112.1), it’s perfectly clear why the Oklahoma City Thunder enters the playoffs as the top team in the West. Mark Daigneault is also the architect of the team that leads in three-point shooting percentages, and the same can be said for steals. At the end of the day, numbers don’t lie – the Oklahoma City Thunder is a real scoring machine when they find their offensive rhythm.
- Weaknesses – The biggest drawback heading into the playoffs is the lack of experience among many players. Except for Gilgeous-Alexander and Dort, there aren’t many players Daigneault can rely on as experienced enough for high-stakes games. Statistically speaking, the problems throughout the season were only noticeable in the rebounding department, where the Oklahoma City Thunder is considered one of the weaker teams in the league (27th place overall, 29th in offensive rebounds, and 12th in defensive rebounds).
New Orleans Pelicans Strenghts and Weaknesses
- Strenghts – There’s no doubt that rebounding will be the strongest weapon for the Pelicans heading into the playoff series, given that compared to their opponent, they have a completely different dimension of play in the paint. It should be noted that their three-point shooting is considered a strong suit (they rank fourth in the league in shooting percentages), and they can also boast being the third-best team in terms of steals. Unlike the Oklahoma City Thunder, the team’s leaders are considerably more experienced, so this factor could be one of the more important ones in the development of the entire series.
- Weaknesses – Although they are not considered a defensively poor team (112.9, seventh place), the New Orleans Pelicans don’t have an offensive factor anywhere near that of the Oklahoma City Thunder (117.4, 11th place). What undoubtedly could be a bigger issue than any statistical parameters is the health status of Zion Williamson, whose return to the court is expected in two weeks.
X-Factor: Jonas Valanciunas
The New Orleans Pelicans also have the opportunity to capitalize on the poor rebounding of the Oklahoma City Thunder and ‘feed’ on second-chance points. In this aspect, the X factor could easily be Jonas Valanciunas, given his skill set and the fact that he is more experienced than almost all players on the opposing team.
Another encouraging statistic for the New Orleans Pelicans is that they don’t have a problem winning on the road, in fact, they are considered one of the best teams in the league in that segment (28-14).
Oklahoma City Thunder vs New Orleans Pelicans: Three things to watch
- How will Shai Gilgeous-Alexander fare? The superstar of the Oklahoma City Thunder has had a fantastic season, confirming his candidacy for the MVP award. However, the NBA playoffs bring an entirely new dimension to the game. Shai has not yet been in a position to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder as the team’s primary star to the highest goals, which they announced with their excellent play during the regular season. It’s much easier to surprise someone as an underdog than to reach the competition’s final stages with a team averaging just 25.4 years of age. All eyes are now on Gilgeous-Alexander, and whether he will manage to maintain his outstanding statistics (as much as possible) under significantly greater pressure and thus become the franchise’s hero, we will find out soon.
- How to play without Zion Williamson? One of the best players of the New Orleans Pelicans has suffered a calf injury that will keep him off the court for at least two more weeks. Williamson averages 22.9 points per game this season, making him the team’s leading scorer. His absence will require Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum to step up, along with Trey Murphy, who has been playing exceptionally well lately.
- Opportunity for Jonas Valanciunas – This will be a great opportunity for the New Orleans Pelicans to attack the opponent through the Lithuanian, given that the paint is the only somewhat weaker point of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Oklahoma City Thunder vs New Orleans Pelicans: Prediction
We have a specific situation, as few believed that the Oklahoma City Thunder could finish the regular season in the Western Conference as first. With excellent play on both ends of the court, as confirmed by the statistics, Mark Daigneault’s team deservedly reached a record of 57-25. However, now begins the part of the season when things change significantly, and young teams like the Thunder often falter.
On the other hand, the New Orleans Pelicans have not shown enough for the Oklahoma City Thunder to be concerned, especially since Zion Williamson, who is objectively the team’s leader, will not be in the lineup. Despite good performances on the road, it doesn’t seem very realistic that the New Orleans Pelicans will surprise at the start, which puts Shai and the team in a good position to finish the series in an optimal five games.
Prediction: Oklahoma City Thunder in five