The Oklahoma City Thunder and the New Orleans Pelicans do battle at the Smoothie King Center on Monday night. Here’s a Pelicans vs Thunder Prediction. This article will include a Pelicans vs Thunder Pick.
Oklahoma City Thunder Betting Preview
The Oklahoma City Thunder have been the benchmark of the league as they’ve won 13 of their first 14 games of the season. They will be gunning for a sixth straight victory after blowing past the Hornets in a 109-96 road win on Saturday. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the team with 33 points and seven assists on 13 of 19 shooting, Chet Holmgren added 25 points on 10 of 20 shooting while Ajay Mitchell chipped in with 14 points, six rebounds and four assists off the bench.
As a team, the Thunder shot 51 percent from the field and 11 of 23 from the 3-point line as they took their time to get going and led by just three points at halftime. Before they clicked into gear and took control with a 32-18 third quarter to lead by 22 points in the blink of an eye.
New Orleans Pelicans Betting Preview
Meanwhile, the New Orleans Pelicans have been doing it tough as they’ve lost 11 of their first 13 games and they are now on a five-game losing streak after getting routed by the Warriors in a 124-106 defeat last night. Trey Murphy III led the team with 20 points, eight rebounds and three steals, Jose Alverado provided the spark off the bench with 18 points on six of 12 shooting while Jeremiah Fears chipped in with 17 points on seven of 14 shooting. As a team, the Pelicans shot 46 percent from the field and just eight of 29 from the 3-point line as they got off to a terrible start and were always fighting an uphill battle after allowing 44 points in the first quarter.
Why the New Orleans Pelicans will win
- The Pelicans have won six of their last 10 games as home underdogs against the Thunder following a loss.
- The Thunder have lost four of their last seven games as road favorites against Western Conference opponents following a win.
- The Pelicans have covered the spread in four of their last five home games on the second leg of a back-to-back.
- The Thunder have failed to cover the spread in 11 of their last 14 road games following a win.
Why the Oklahoma City Thunder will win
- The Thunder have won each of their last 34 games against teams that held a losing record.
- The Pelicans have lost each of their last 14 games against teams that held a winning record.
- The Thunder have covered the spread in each of their last 13 road games against the Pelicans.
- The Pelicans have failed to cover the spread in each of their last eight games against Thunder teams that held a winning record.
Total Points Facts
- Each of the Pelicans’ last five games against the Thunder following a home loss have gone UNDER the total points line.
- Four of the Thunder’s last five games have gone UNDER the total points line.
Matchup/League Facts
- The Pelicans rank 30th in the league for points per game this season (108.4).
- The Pelicans rank 30th in the league for assists per game this season (22.8).
- The Thunder rank 1st in the league for opponent points per game this season (106.2).
- The Thunder rank 1st in the league for point differential per game this season (+15.4).
Pelicans vs Thunder Prediction
The Thunder are still missing Jalen Williams and Nikola Topic with Alex Caruso listed as questionable, while the Pelicans have ruled out Zion Williamson, Jordan Poole and Dejounte Murray again. The Thunder have open as heavy road favorites once again which isn’t surprising given how well they’ve played compared to how much the Pelicans have been struggling. The Thunder failed to cover as winners over the Hornets on Saturday, but now they’re up against a depleted Pelicans squad playing their second game of a back to back set. The line is a bit scary, but I think the Thunder take care of business early and cruise to a big win and cover.