Game ID: 42300143
Oklahoma City Thunder @ New Orleans Pelicans
Saturday, April 27, 2024 at 3:30 PM ET
Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, LA
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
NOP 19 27 23 16 85OKC 23 37 25 21 106
NOP vs OKC ScoutingNOP vs OKC Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
NOP availability going into 4/12 · back-to-backOUT Ingram missed 11 since 3/22, out tonight
BACK Marshall back 4/11 after 2, 4 min since (18% of 19)
BACK Alvarado back 4/07 after 5, 21 min since (117% of 18)
NEW McCollum 33 to 39 min over the last 5
NEW Jones 31 to 36 min over the last 5
NEW Murphy III 30 to 39 min over the last 5
NEW Daniels 22 to 28 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 4/14 · 1 day's restOUT Ingram missed 12 since 3/22, returns tonight: 23 min (71% of 33)
OUT Nance Jr. missed 2 since 4/11, returns tonight: 30 min (152% of 20)
OUT Hawkins missed 2 since 4/11, out tonight
OUT Ryan missed 2 since 4/11, returns tonight: 2 min (16% of 14)
BACK Marshall back 4/11 after 2, 4 min since (18% of 19)
BACK Alvarado back 4/07 after 5, 25 min since (136% of 18)
NEW McCollum 33 to 39 min over the last 5
NEW Murphy III 30 to 40 min over the last 5
NEW Daniels 22 to 29 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 4/21 · 6 days' restOUT Marshall missed 2 since 4/12, returns tonight: 16 min (82% of 19)
OUT Hawkins missed 3 since 4/11, out tonight
BACK Ingram back 4/14 after 12, 23 min since (71% of 33)
BACK Nance Jr. back 4/14 after 2, 30 min since (152% of 20)
BACK Alvarado back 4/07 after 5, 24 min since (132% of 18)
BACK Ryan back 4/14 after 2, 2 min since (16% of 14)
NEW Murphy III 30 to 39 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 4/24 · 2 days' restOUT Hawkins missed 4 since 4/11, returns tonight: 5 min (32% of 17)
BACK Ingram back 4/14 after 12, 30 min since (92% of 33)
BACK Nance Jr. back 4/14 after 2, 25 min since (124% of 20)
BACK Marshall back 4/11 after 2, 10 min since (50% of 19)
BACK Ryan back 4/14 after 2, 2 min since (16% of 14)
NEW Murphy III 30 to 40 min over the last 5
NEW Alvarado 18 to 23 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 4/27 · 2 days' restOUT Ryan missed 2 since 4/21, returns tonight: 2 min (19% of 14)
BACK Ingram back 4/14 after 12, 31 min since (94% of 33)
BACK Nance Jr. back 4/14 after 2, 21 min since (106% of 20)
BACK Marshall back 4/11 after 2, 15 min since (78% of 19)
BACK Hawkins back 4/24 after 4, 5 min since (32% of 17)
NEW Murphy III 30 to 40 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 4/29 · 1 day's restBACK Ingram back 4/14 after 12, 33 min since (98% of 33)
BACK Nance Jr. back 4/14 after 2, 23 min since (117% of 20)
BACK Marshall back 4/21 after 2, 21 min since (109% of 19)
BACK Hawkins back 4/24 after 4, 4 min since (23% of 17)
BACK Ryan back 4/14 after 2, 2 min since (17% of 14)
NEW Murphy III 30 to 40 min over the last 5
OKC availability going into 4/12 · 1 day's restOUT Dieng missed 12 since 3/22, returns tonight: 5 min (51% of 10)
BACK Gilgeous-Alexande back 4/09 after 4, 32 min since (92% of 35)
BACK Jal. Williams back 4/09 after 4, 30 min since (92% of 32)
BACK Hayward back 4/10 after 2, 20 min since (133% of 15)
NEW Giddey 24 to 30 min over the last 5
NEW Wiggins 16 to 23 min over the last 5
NEW K. Williams 14 to 20 min over the last 5
OKC availability going into 4/14 · 1 day's restBACK Gilgeous-Alexande back 4/09 after 4, 31 min since (89% of 35)
BACK Jal. Williams back 4/09 after 4, 29 min since (89% of 32)
BACK Hayward back 4/10 after 2, 23 min since (153% of 15)
BACK Dieng back 4/12 after 12, 5 min since (51% of 10)
NEW Giddey 24 to 31 min over the last 4
NEW Wiggins 16 to 22 min over the last 5
OKC availability going into 4/21 · 6 days' restBACK Gilgeous-Alexande back 4/09 after 4, 27 min since (78% of 35)
BACK Jal. Williams back 4/09 after 4, 25 min since (77% of 32)
BACK Hayward back 4/10 after 2, 22 min since (150% of 15)
BACK Dieng back 4/12 after 12, 12 min since (115% of 10)
NEW Wiggins 16 to 23 min over the last 5
OKC availability going into 4/24 · 2 days' restBACK Gilgeous-Alexande back 4/09 after 4, 30 min since (85% of 35)
BACK Jal. Williams back 4/09 after 4, 28 min since (87% of 32)
BACK Hayward back 4/10 after 2, 19 min since (128% of 15)
BACK Dieng back 4/12 after 12, 12 min since (115% of 10)
OKC availability going into 4/27 · 2 days' restBACK Hayward back 4/10 after 2, 17 min since (116% of 15)
BACK Dieng back 4/12 after 12, 9 min since (87% of 10)
OKC availability going into 4/29 · 1 day's restBACK Dieng back 4/12 after 12, 9 min since (87% of 10)
OKC availability going into 5/07 · 7 days' restOUT Dieng missed 2 since 4/27, returns tonight: 3 min (34% of 10)
OKC availability going into 5/09 · 1 day's restBACK Dieng back 5/07 after 2, 3 min since (34% of 10)
OKC availability going into 5/11 · 1 day's restBACK Dieng back 5/07 after 2, 2 min since (19% of 10)
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New Orleans comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 115, shooting 47 percent and 42 from three, 16 free throws a game; McCollum at 24 and Williamson at 23 a game. That is 3 straight losses. 2 days' rest. OKC comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 93, shooting 51 percent and 39 from three, 18 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 25 and Holmgren at 17 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has won the glass by 4 a night. 2 days' rest.
So: OKC wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, OKC allowing 93 a night to New Orleans's 115 and the glass, where OKC has been plus-4 a night and New Orleans minus-0. Call it OKC 116, New Orleans 108.
4/12 @ GSW 114-109 — NOP notes
NOP won 114-109. NOP shot 47% (42 of 90) to GSW's 47%, 20 of 38 from three. NOP turned it over 8 times to GSW's 16. The glass went 38-53 against them. McCollum led with 28 (10 of 21, 8 of 13 from three); Williamson added 26, Murphy III 24. The hinge was Q2, 45-22: NOP came in trailing by 9 and left it ahead by 14. Alvarado was the night's best plus/minus at +18.
4/14 vs LAL 108-124 — NOP notes
NOP lost 108-124. NOP shot 48% (41 of 86) to LAL's 55%, 15 of 37 from three. NOP turned it over 19 times to LAL's 14, and LAL turned those into 12 steals. McCollum led with 25 (9 of 19, 4 of 9 from three); Jones added 18, Nance Jr. 13. Q4 was theirs, 31-25, the deficit cut from 22 to 16, but the other 3 periods went 99-77 against them. Ingram's -28 in 23 minutes was the worst on the floor.
4/21 @ OKC 92-94 — NOP notes
NOP lost 92-94. NOP took 11 more shots (96 to 85), fed by 18 offensive rebounds, but shot 39% to OKC's 44%, 11 of 39 from three. Murphy III led with 21 (8 of 18, 5 of 12 from three); McCollum added 20, Valančiūnas 13. Q4 was theirs, 24-20, the deficit cut from 6 to 2, but the other 3 periods went 74-68 against them. Alvarado's -6 in 19 minutes was the worst on the floor.
4/24 @ OKC 92-124 — NOP notes
NOP lost 92-124. NOP shot 45% (33 of 73) to OKC's 59%, 7 of 26 from three. NOP turned it over 17 times to OKC's 8. Valančiūnas led with 19 (8 of 14); Jones added 18, Ingram 18. Q2 was theirs, 28-28, but the other 3 periods went 96-64 against them. Ingram's -30 in 33 minutes was the worst on the floor.
4/27 vs OKC 85-106 — NOP notes
NOP lost 85-106. NOP shot 38% (32 of 84) to OKC's 48%, 9 of 32 from three. Ingram led with 19 (7 of 14, 2 of 3 from three); McCollum added 16, Jones 15. Q3 was theirs, 23-25, but the other 3 periods went 81-62 against them. Murphy III's -26 in 44 minutes was the worst on the floor.
4/29 vs OKC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New Orleans comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 98 a night and allowing 111, shooting 43 percent and 36 from three, 15 free throws a game; McCollum at 21 and Ingram at 16 a game. That is 4 straight losses. One day's rest. OKC comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 92, shooting 52 percent and 40 from three, 16 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 25 and Jal. Williams at 17 a game. That is 5 straight wins. One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, OKC allowing 92 a night to New Orleans's 111 and the turnovers, New Orleans giving it away 16 times a game to OKC's 12. Call it OKC 114, New Orleans 105.
4/12 vs MIL 125-107 — OKC notes
OKC won 125-107. OKC shot 53% (47 of 89) to MIL's 49%, 13 of 38 from three, and went to the line 20 times to MIL's 13 — 18 points from the stripe to their 12. OKC turned it over 10 times to MIL's 17. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 23 (7 of 21, 0 of 7 from three, 9 of 9 at the line); Holmgren added 22, Wiggins 19. The hinge was Q2, 28-18: a lead of 7 became 17, and the lead reached 29. Dort was the night's best plus/minus at +21.
4/14 vs DAL 135-86 — OKC notes
OKC won 135-86. OKC shot 56% (54 of 97) to DAL's 33%, 14 of 34 from three. The glass went 58-41 for them. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 15 (5 of 11, 0 of 4 from three); Wiggins added 14, Dieng 13. The hinge was Q2, 43-19: a lead of 17 became 41, and the lead reached 58. Wallace was the night's best plus/minus at +34.
4/21 vs NOP 94-92 — OKC notes
OKC won 94-92. OKC shot 44% (37 of 85) to NOP's 39%, 10 of 32 from three. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 28 (11 of 24, 0 of 3 from three, 6 of 7 at the line); Jal. Williams added 19, Holmgren 15. The hinge was Q3, 31-25: from level to 6 ahead. Jal. Williams was the night's best plus/minus at +8.
4/24 vs NOP 124-92 — OKC notes
OKC won 124-92. OKC shot 59% (46 of 78) to NOP's 45%, 14 of 29 from three. OKC turned it over 8 times to NOP's 17. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 33 (13 of 19, 3 of 5 from three); Holmgren added 26, Jal. Williams 21. The hinge was Q4, 32-18: a lead of 18 became 32. Holmgren was the night's best plus/minus at +32.
4/27 @ NOP 106-85 — OKC notes
OKC won 106-85. OKC shot 48% (40 of 83) to NOP's 38%, 17 of 36 from three. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 24 (8 of 20, 1 of 5 from three, 7 of 9 at the line); Jal. Williams added 21, Giddey 21. The hinge was Q2, 37-27: a lead of 4 became 14, and the lead reached 24. Gilgeous-Alexander was the night's best plus/minus at +22.
4/29 @ NOP — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New Orleans comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 98 a night and allowing 111, shooting 43 percent and 36 from three, 15 free throws a game; McCollum at 21 and Ingram at 16 a game. That is 4 straight losses. One day's rest. OKC comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 92, shooting 52 percent and 40 from three, 16 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 25 and Jal. Williams at 17 a game. That is 5 straight wins. One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, OKC allowing 92 a night to New Orleans's 111 and the turnovers, New Orleans giving it away 16 times a game to OKC's 12. Call it OKC 114, New Orleans 105.
5/07 vs DAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
OKC comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 89, shooting 50 percent and 39 from three, 17 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 25 and Jal. Williams at 19 a game. That is 5 straight wins. 7 days' rest. Dallas comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 99, shooting 48 percent and 34 from three, 25 free throws a game; Dončić at 29 and Irving at 26 a game. Without Hardaway Jr. (4 straight). 3 days' rest.
So: OKC wins, and the game turns on the defense, OKC allowing 89 a night to Dallas's 99 and the line, where Dallas takes 25 free throws a game to OKC's 17. Call it OKC 112, Dallas 106.
5/09 vs DAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
OKC comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 91, shooting 47 percent and 40 from three, 20 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 28 and Jal. Williams at 21 a game. That is 5 straight wins. One day's rest. Dallas comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 103, shooting 47 percent and 33 from three, 24 free throws a game; Dončić at 27 and Irving at 25 a game. One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, and the game turns on the defense, OKC allowing 91 a night to Dallas's 103 and the arc, OKC at 40 percent from three to Dallas's 33. Call it OKC 112, Dallas 106.
5/11 @ DAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Dallas comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 107, shooting 48 percent and 37 from three, 25 free throws a game; Dončić at 28 and Irving at 23 a game. Without Kleber (2 straight). One day's rest. OKC comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 96, shooting 48 percent and 41 from three, 20 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 29 and Jal. Williams at 21 a game. One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, OKC allowing 96 a night to Dallas's 107 and the line, where Dallas takes 25 free throws a game to OKC's 20. Call it OKC 112, Dallas 110, Dallas keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
OKCAW A. Wiggins
CH C. Holmgren
CW C. Wallace
GH G. Hayward
IJ I. Joe
JG J. Giddey
JW J. Williams
JW Jal. Williams
JW Jay. Williams
KW K. Williams
LD L. Dort
SG S. Gilgeous-Alexander
NOPBI B. Ingram
CM C. McCollum
DD D. Daniels
EL E. Liddell
HJ H. Jones
JA J. Alvarado
JV J. Valančiūnas
LN L. Nance Jr.
MR M. Ryan
NM N. Marshall
TM T. Murphy III
OKC/NOP the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder roll to 3-0 series lead with 106-85 win over the Pelicans
NEW ORLEANS -- — Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams was on his hands and knees after taking a hard shot to the eye on the opening possession of a pivotal playoff game.
By the third quarter, Williams was draining a pair of 3-pointers during a 9-0 run that had the New Orleans Pelicans reeling.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 24 points, Williams and Josh Giddey each had 21 and the Thunder beat the Pelicans 106-85 on Saturday to take a 3-0 lead in their first-round playoff series.
“Dub's very talented,” Gilgeous-Alexander said of Williams, who has averaged about 20 points in the series and scored 13 of his Game 3 points in the second half. “He was clearly big tonight, very impressive and nothing we're not used to.”
The top-seeded Thunder entered the playoffs answering a lot of questions about the relative youth and inexperience on its roster — and that appeared justified after a two -point escape at home in Game 1 against the eighth-seeded Pelicans.
Since then, the Thunder have posted victory margins of 32 in Game 2 and 21 in Game 3, in no small part because of a relentless defensive effort that has kept the Pelicans to 92 or fewer points in all three games of the series.
“We were ready to play,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “Our physicality again, our defense and focus on that end of the floor was really, really good, made them earn everything. And I thought that set the tone.”
Oklahoma City hit 17 of 36 (47.2%) from 3-point range and held a lead of 10 points or more throughout the second half, going up by as many as 24 in the fourth quarter. By then, a contingent of Thunder fans could be heard chanting, “OKC! OKC!” as New Orleans fans filed out.
“We adjusted really well to the flow of the game. We got good looks,” Giddey said. “They threw a lot of different looks at us but we've got a lot of weapons on the floor at all times. So, guys made the right play, the extra pass.”
The Pelicans, who've been without star forward Zion Williamson during the series because of his hamstring injury , will try to avoid elimination at home in Game 4 on Monday night.
“It’s not over,” Pelicans coach Willie Green said of his message to the team. "Look, we’ve got another game here at home and we’re not going to fix all of our issues tonight. Go home, have a good meal and we’ll come back (Sunday) and practice and go over what we need to do and get ready for the next game.”
History is not on their side. No team in NBA history has come back from a 3-0 series deficit.
“You can’t take your foot off the gas no matter what the lead is in a series,” Giddey said. “Neither team looks at this series as over.”
Brandon Ingram scored 19 points and CJ McCollum had 16 for New Orleans, which struggled to hit from the perimeter and to take care of the ball.
The Pelicans, who shot just 27.7% from 3-point range during the series' first two games combined, improved only marginally in their return home, hitting 28.1% (9 of 32). New Orleans also turned the ball over 21 times, leading to 23 Thunder points.
The game began ominously for the Thunder when Williams took a forearm to the face from Ingram while attempting a driving floater and fell to his hands and knees.
No foul was called on the collision, which sent Williams to the locker room for much of the first quarter before he checked back in late in the period.
The game was competitive until the Thunder went on a 14-0 run in the second quarter that gave Oklahoma City a 54-39 lead.
The surge began with a 3 by Gilgeous-Alexander before Lu Dort connected on three straight from deep.
“I’m sure us turning the ball over didn’t help," said Pelicans wing Trey Murphy III , who scored 10 points. “Then they were just moving the ball really well and we had some defensive breakdowns. They were making shots and capitalizing off of our mistakes.”
After McCollum's 3 cut the Pelicans' deficit to 12, they had a chance to get closer in the final seconds of the half, but Gilgeous-Alexander stole the ball from McCollum and was fouled.
Gilgeous-Alexander hit two free throws to give the Thunder a 60-46 lead at halftime.