New Orleans Pelicans vs Oklahoma City Thunder Prediction, 4/21/2024 Preview and Pick

Game: New Orleans Pelicans vs Oklahoma City Thunder

Date: Sunday, April 21, 2024

Location: Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, OK

TV: TNT

Odds/Point Spread: New Orleans (+9)

The Oklahoma City Thunder (57-25) welcome the New Orleans Pelicans (49-33) at Paycom Center on Sunday in Game 1 of their series. New Orleans is 9-point dogs. The over/under is 215.5.

The Pelicans played the Kings and walked away with a win by a score of 105-98 in their last contest. In the matter of fouls, the Pelicans ended up with 19 while the Kings totaled 17 fouls. They converted 11 out of their 41 attempts from 3-point land. Sacramento ended up going 68.2% at the free throw line by knocking down 15 of 22 attempts. Furthermore, Sacramento grabbed 40 rebounds (14 offensive, 26 defensive) and had 8 blocked shots. Sacramento totaled 21 dimes and had 9 steals in this contest. Pertaining to defense, New Orleans allowed 40.9% from the floor on 36 out of 88 shooting. They also recorded 29 assists in the game in addition to forcing 15 turnovers and earning 9 steals. In regard to getting rebounds, they collected 45 with 11 of them being offensive. When they shot from the free throw line, the Pelicans buried 10 of 13 tries for a percentage of 76.9%. New Orleans finished the game having earned a 51.8% field goal percentage (44 of 85) and converted 7 of their 19 shots from beyond the perimeter.

Brandon Ingram is a player who was a factor for the game. Ingram finished shooting 50.0% from the floor and totaled 6 assists. He was on the hardwood for 37 minutes and also collected 6 rebounds. He left the arena with 24 points on 10 of 20 shooting.

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New Orleans will play this contest with a mark of 49-33 so far this season. They lose possession by turning the ball over 13.0 times per game and as a group are committing 18.4 personal fouls every game. As a team, New Orleans is collecting 44.0 rebounds per contest and has totaled 2,210 assists for the season, which is 13th in the league in terms of passing. The Pelicans are shooting 38.3% from downtown (1,023 of 2,673) and 77.1% from the free throw line. They average 115.1 points per outing (13th in the NBA) while hitting 48.6% from the field.

On defense, the Pelicans are forcing their opponents into 14.2 turnovers per game and they draw 18.4 fouls. They give up 34.9% on shots from beyond the arc and they are 8th in the NBA in points per game allowed (110.7). The Pelicans defense is allowing a FG percentage of 46.4% (3,317 of 7,155) and they surrender 42.3 rebounds per contest as a basketball team. They are currently ranked 17th in basketball in giving up assists to the opposition with 2,196 surrendered for the year.

The last time they took the court, the Thunder walked away with a victory by a final of 135-86 against the Mavericks. The Thunder were able to pull down 47 defensive boards and 11 offensive boards totaling 58 in this game. They also gave up possession of the ball 14 times, while getting 6 steals in the game. The Mavericks had 15 fouls for the contest which took the Thunder to the charity stripe for a total of 16 shots. They were able to convert 13 of the free throw tries for a rate of 81.3%. Concerning three-point shots, Oklahoma City knocked down 14 of 34 attempts (41.2%). In all, the Thunder shot 54 out of 97 from the field which had them at 55.7%. The Thunder permitted the Mavericks to bury 32 of 97 tries from the field which gave them a rate of 33.0% for this contest. They finished shooting 20.5% from 3-point land by going 8 of 39 and finished the game at 14 out of 17 from the free throw line (82.4%). When it comes to cleaning up the glass, Oklahoma City permitted Dallas to get 4 in all (12 offensive).

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ended up being a factor for the Thunder in this contest. He knocked down 5 out of 11 in the matchup giving him a rate of 45.5%, and earned 1 rebound. Gilgeous-Alexander earned 15 points in his 16 minutes on the hardwood and tallied 6 assists for this game.

Oklahoma City has a win-loss record of 57-25 for the campaign. When it comes to offense, the Thunder are connecting on 49.9% from the field, which is ranked 3rd in basketball. Oklahoma City has accounted for 9,847 points for the year (120.1 per contest) and they grab 42.0 rebounds per game. They are assisting teammates 27.1 times per game (11th in the league) and they are turning it over 12.7 times per game. The Thunder are committing 18.8 fouls per game and they go 82.5% from the free throw line.

The Thunder on the defensive end are ranked 11th in the league in points given up per game with 112.7. They are forcing 15.7 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 45.5% from the field (3rd in the league). The Oklahoma City defense gives up 36.1% on shots from beyond the perimeter (1,101 of 3,052) and opponents are converting on 78.9% of their free throw shots. They have surrendered 26.9 assists and 44.7 total rebounds per game, which ranks them 18th and 23rd in the league.

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Oklahoma City (-9)

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