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0 On Friday night, the Oklahoma City Thunder faced off against the New Orleans Pelicans in an NBA matchup that ended with a 107-83 victory for the Thunder. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the star of the night, scoring 31 points and leading his team to their fourth straight road win. The win also improved their NBA-leading road record to 15-8.
Chet Holmgren also had a strong performance, with 20 points and 13 rebounds. Meanwhile, Herb Jones and Jonas Valanciunas were the top scorers for the Pelicans with 14 points each, followed by Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum with 12 each. However, the Pelicans struggled to find their rhythm without Zion Williamson, who was out due to a bone bruise in his left foot.
Despite setting a franchise record for points just three days earlier in a 153-124 victory over Utah, the Pelicans struggled to find their form against the Thunder, shooting just 39%. After making 23 3-pointers on Tuesday, they were held to just 9-of-36 shooting from beyond the arc. The Thunder, meanwhile, missed 10 of their 33 attempts from deep but made up for it by going 13 of 14 from the foul line and forcing 16 New Orleans turnovers.
Thunder coach Mark Daigneault praised Gilgeous-Alexander for his consistency throughout the season, saying that his success also impacted the team and created space for other players to improve. He also noted that the team’s ability to sustain high-level intensity on defense regardless of their offensive performance was a sign of their maturity.
Pelicans coach Willie Green was disappointed with his team’s performance, particularly their inability to take care of the basketball. He blamed the loss on a lack of execution and unforced turnovers and expressed frustration with the team’s inability to replicate their success from just a few days earlier. McCollum agreed, noting that the absence of Williamson made for a different game and that the team needed to do better moving forward.
Williamson’s status for the Pelicans’ upcoming game against the Bucks remains unclear, but Green said that it would be updated soon. Meanwhile, Gilgeous-Alexander was voted a Western Conference starter for the All-Star Game, an honor he called a “blessing” and credited to his talented peers in the NBA.
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