The 9th seed New Orleans Pelicans host the 10th seed Oklahoma City Thunder in an NBA Western Conference Play-in game on Wednesday night. The winner will advance to play the top seeded Denver Nuggets. The loser is eliminated. The Pelicans even without big man Zion Williamson are favored over a young Thunder team.
Sure! Play-In odds:
Raptors -5.5 vs Bulls +185
Pelicans -5.5 vs Thunder +185
Odds for every NBA playoff game:https://t.co/dopUNjfysg
— BetOnline (@BetOnline_ag) April 11, 2023
The total is 228.
Oklahoma City Thunder (40-42, 10th)
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is that guy. He’s developed into a prolific scorer, finishing fourth in the league in points with average of 31.4 points per game. One of his biggest games of the year came against the Pelicans in March:
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander vs New Orleans Pelicans
35 PTS
6 REB
2 AST
4 STL
1 BLK
11/23 FG
13/13 FT
+12 in 37 minutes.#Thunder W. #ThunderUp #NBA pic.twitter.com/fX2Siy5pxX— A Walking Highlight (@11AWH) March 12, 2023
Gilgeous-Alexander played in all four games against the Pelicans this season, torching New Orleans for over 30 points twice and over 40 points once. He averaged 33.5 points over four games against his Play-In opponent — an impressive feat even if the Thunder lost three of those contests. His backcourt running mate Josh Giddey is averaging over 16 points and six assists per game.
New Orleans Pelicans (42-40, 9th )
The Pelicans still don’t have Zion Williamson. Even if they advance out of the play-in game, they won’t have him. The team says it’s a conditioning issue while Williamson says he’ll come back when he “Feels like Zion”.
"I can pretty much do everything. It's just a matter of the level that I was playing at before my hamstring. I don't want to go out there and be in my own head and affect the team when I can just be on the sideline supporting them more."
— Zion Williamsonpic.twitter.com/m6vUT46MeX
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) April 11, 2023
Williamson only played in 29 games but he averaged 26 points and pulled down seven boards per game.
To be continued.
Dynamic Backcourt Duo
What the Pelicans do have are the tandem of Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum. Ingram, who joined NO in the Anthony Davis trade is a rising star in the league. He leads New Orleans is scoring with an average of 24.7 points per game:
PLAYOFF BRANDON INGRAM IS HERE
— Boot Krewe Media (@BootKreweMedia) April 9, 2023
Ingram has been on a tear over the final month of the season, averaging 27.4 points, 7.4 assists and 6.1 rebounds since the calendar flipped to March. In that span, he recorded his first two career triple-doubles and exploded for 40 points twice.
McCollum has been a great addition to the Pelicans since coming over from Portland. He’s averaging 20.7 PPG and is a one of the top shooters in the league.
Hey @NBA found all those CJ McCollum highlights you were looking for. https://t.co/78tg2V7wbX
— Patrick A. Grover (@PatrickArnez) November 16, 2022
It’s worth noting that three of the four regular-season meetings between these teams were decided by 4 points or less, so this one could go either way. New Orleans ranks eighth in average scoring margin at home (+5.0) and has won four of its last six games against Oklahoma City. I believe the Pelicans to be the play with a slight nod to the over.
Another betting angle
Which of the four teams in the 9/10 games has the best chance of advancing?
Which 9/10 seed is most likely to make it to the actual playoffs?
— BetOnline (@BetOnline_ag) April 11, 2023
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