OKC Thunder 3 keys: Steven Adams and Pelicans round 3.0
The losing streak is over for the OKC Thunder and with that business taken care of Mark Daigneault and his teammates can get back to the matter at hand — tanking.
With Steven Adams and the New Orleans Pelicans in town, it marks the final 10 games of the 2020-21 campaign. The Big Kiwi returned from injury on Wednesday and looked like he could’ve used some more time on the shelf to nurse his ailing toe.
The two teams have totally different agendas in the stretch run. With the gutsy, character win by the OKC Thunder versus the Celtics, they are back to focusing on the NBA Draft Lottery and positioning. Detroit and Orlando are now tied in third with the Thunder possessing two additional wins in fifth.
Alternatively, the Pelicans still have designs on participating in the postseason but trails the Warriors by four games. Generally, that would be a daunting prospect with only 10 games remaining, however, three of those contests are against the Dubs so theoretically a sweep would put them in the mix.
New Orleans didn’t help their odds with a heartbreaking loss in Denver on Wednesday. Trailing the Nuggets by nine points with less than a minute remaining, but a series of failed shots and turnovers resulted in the Pels cutting the deficit to two points with just under 10 seconds remaining.
The dagger came when Jokic turned over the ball on the inbound pass but made the play of the game blocking Zion Williamson‘s dunk. (see the end of highlight video and you make the call)
The Pels big three were the key factors in the match as Brandon Ingram led scoring with 27 points, Zion adding 21, and Lonzo Ball delivering a triple-double of 16 points, 12 rebounds, and 12 assists.
OKC Thunder versus New Orleans Pelicans, 3 keys:
That means the OKC Thunder have the rest advantage but the Pelicans will be playing with desperation.
The following are three things to watch for in the match with the emphasis on matchups instead of winning since it’s a moot point with the tank in progress.