Oklahoma City Thunder vs. New Orleans Pelicans preview – 12/21/16
By Chris Hughes
After falling short to the Atlanta Hawks at the start of the week, the OKC Thunder will look to bounce back as they face an inconsistent New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center.
The OKC Thunder slipped to a third loss from four games on Monday, narrowly losing to the Atlanta Hawks by a two-point margin. The side have been without Victor Oladipo over the course of this run, proving exactly how valuable the shooting guard is to OKC’s line-up.
The Thunder’s narrow 108-110 defeat means the franchise have lost seven games this season by six points or less; over half of their defeats have now come from narrow margins.
Away from the Chesapeake Arena Oklahoma City have been relatively mixed, with 6 wins in 11 games. This leaves for worrying when you realize that only four of the Thunder’s next 15 games are at home.
Statistically, OKC are still quite impressive however. On offense they’ve average 106 points per game, the tenth highest figure in the league. Their plus/minus has dropped to a steady 1.0 however.
Meanwhile their opponents have started the season inconsistently, but are beginning to find their feet. Since their eight-game loss streak at the start of the season, the New Orleans Pelicans have gone 10-12, and go into the game off the back of a 108-93 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Pelicans have started the season with a 102.7 points per game average, and have been one of the league’s worst in three-point conversion, with just over 33%. Their rebounds-per-game statistic of 44.7 leaves just out of the league’s top ten, with the Thunder currently fourth with 45.7.
Related Story: Key Injuries Open Door for Thunder
Previous Meetings
The two sides have already met this season; in fact they’ve already played this month. Back on December 4th, the Thunder clinched a fifth-straight victory with a 101-92 scoreline. Russell Westbrook had a 28-12-17 triple-double that day.
Since re-branding themselves from the Hornets to the Pelicans, it’s been an even history between the two franchises. From the 11 matchups the Pelicans have won five, the majority of which came from a three-game winning streak between April and December of 2014.
Look for Oklahoma City to continue to be strong offensively against New Orleans tonight, having scored 100 or more points in each of their last six meetings with the side.
Key Players for Both Sides
As ever, Oklahoma City will rely on Russell Westbrook to lead the line once again, especially if Victor Oladipo remains injured. The point guard registered 46 points on Monday, and leads the side with 30.9 points per game, on top of 10.5 boards and 10.9 assists.
What’s more, Westbrook is listed as leading the league in terms of fastbreak points per game and usage percentage, with 6.7 and 41.1 percent respectively.
With Oladipo out as of now, more pressure will fall on the shoulders of OKC’s big men. Steven Adams and Enes Kanter are the other two Thunder players currently averaging over ten points per game (11.6 and 12.5 respectively).
Related Story: The Smooth Serenades of Victor Oladipo
Domantas Sabonis will have a testing game in the four spot, as he looks to shut down Anthony Davis, the league’s second-highest points scorer this season.
Oklahoma City Thunder Predicted Lineup
- Point guard: Russell Westbrook
- Shooting guard: Anthony Morrow (*1)
- Small forward:Andre Roberson
- Power forward: Damantas Sabonis
- Center: Steven Adams
Notable substitutes: Jerami Grant (SF), Enes Kanter (C, PF).
*1 – Anthony Morrow in for injured Victor Oladipo.
Meanwhile the Pelicans to continue to rely on their main man too, with Anthony Davis’ 29.6 points per game the closest the Russell Westbrook’s.
Not only this, but the big man is also averaging 12.5 points in the paint, and is leading the league with 2.8 blocks per game.
However the Pelicans do in fact have more players with double-digit averages than their opponents do, with Jrue Holiday (14.4), Tim Frazier (10.9), Terrence Jones (10.6) and E’Twaun Moore (10.2) all pitching in with solid returns.
The recently-drafted Buddy Hield is also someone for the Thunder to watch out for tonight, with the 23-year-old having hit double-figures in each of his last four games for the Pelicans.
Next: A Thunder Fan's Recap of His Time in Oklahoma City
New Orleans Pelicans Predicted Lineup
- Point guard: Jrue Holiday
- Shooting guard: E’Twaun Moore
- Small forward: Solomon Hill
- Power forward: Anthony Davis
- Center: Omer Asik
Notable substitutes: Buddy Hield (SG), Tim Frazier (PG), Terrence Jones (PF).
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Injuries and game specifics
The Oklahoma City Thunder’s biggest absentee will be their second-highest average scorer Victor Oladipo, who remains sidelined with a wrist injury. Meanwhile Cameron Payne is yet to return from a foot injury that squandered a potential Rudy Gay trade earlier this season. The point guard is not expected back until after Christmas.
For the hosts, Tyreke Evans could make a return after being rested for the side’s win over Philly, whilst the likes of Solomon Hill and Dante Cunningham are expected to continue to feature, after both sitting out Sunday’s loss to the San Antonio Spurs.
Tip-off is 7:00 PM C.T at the Smoothie King Center, and you can watch the game on Fox Sports Oklahoma or listen along on WWLS 98.1 FM.