Oklahoma City Thunder (60-25) vs. New Orleans Pelicans (50-37)
April 29, 2024 8:30 pm EDT
The Line: New Orleans Pelicans +4.5; Over/Under: +207.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Oklahoma City Thunder and the New Orleans Pelicans duke it out in NBA playoffs Game 4 at the Smoothie King Center on Monday night. Here’s a New Orleans Pelicans vs Oklahoma City Thunder Prediction.
Oklahoma City Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder will be looking to finish off the Pelicans after cruising their way to an easy 106-85 road win in Game 3 on Saturday. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the team with 24 points, eight assists and four steals, Jalen Williams and Josh Giddey tallied 21 points each while Luguentz Dort chipped in with 12 points. As a team, the Thunder shot 48 percent from the field and 17 of 36 from the 3-point line as they jumped all over the Pelicans from the start, playing great defense to hold the Pelicans to just 19 points in the first quarter before the Thunder exploded for 37 points in the second quarter to take full control of the contest.
New Orleans Pelicans
Meanwhile, the New Orleans Pelicans are just hoping to avoid the sweep now after coming up way short against the Thunder in a big loss in Game 3. Brandon Ingram led the team with 19 points, CJ McCollum added 16 points with seven assists while Herbert Jones chipped in with 15 points. As a team, the Pelicans shot just 38 percent from the field and nine of 32 from the 3-point line as they struggled to match the Thunder early on and were never in the contest after falling behind by double digits going into halftime. Jonas Valanciunas finished with just seven points in 12 minutes of action while Jose Alverado finished scoreless on zero of four shooting off the bench.
New Orleans Pelicans Team Facts
- The Pelicans have won each of their last five games as home underdogs following a home loss.
- The road team has covered the spread in 10 of the last 11 games between the Thunder and Pelicans.
- Seven of the Pelicans’ last eight games as home underdogs have gone UNDER the total points line.
Oklahoma City Thunder Team Facts
- The Thunder have won each of their last eight games.
- The Thunder have covered the spread in each of their last 10 games at Smoothie King Center.
- Each of the Thunder’s last six road games following a road win have gone UNDER the total points line.
New Orleans Pelicans vs Oklahoma City Thunder Prediction
The Pelicans were dealt a cruel blow when they lost Zion Williamson just before this series, and the Thunder haven’t shown any sympathy as they have now moved to within one game from moving onto the second round. The Pelicans needed to come together with their best game on Saturday to have any chance in this series, but the Thunder are fully healthy, and they’ve just been too much to handle for a shorthanded Pelicans squad. I’m sure we’re going to see a much better effort from the Pelicans as they look to stave off elimination, but I still have the Thunder winning with ease as long as they don’t look past the Pelicans. The line is short enough, so I will stay with the Thunder to finish the job on the road.
