Pelicans vs. Thunder NBA Play-In Preview | April 12

The New Orleans Pelicans are once again hosting an NBA Play-In elimination game, this time against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

NEW ORLEANS- New season, same old song down at the Smoothie King Center. The New Orleans Pelicans (42-40) are once again hosting an NBA Play-In 9 vs. 10 elimination game, this time against the Oklahoma City Thunder (40-42). Brandon Ingram will again need to be the best player on the floor for the Pelicans to live to fight another day.

Ingram has been showing off a new-and-improved All-NBA skill set over the past few weeks. On Sunday versus the Minnesota Timberwolves, Ingram had 42 points, 12 boards, and seven assists but it was in a losing effort. It was a tough defeat but New Orleans did finish the regular season winning four of their final six games to ensure a second straight trip to the Play-In Tournament. 

The plane ride home was somber but the practice on Tuesday was pretty upbeat and lively all things considered. The team did release an encouraging update on Jose Alvarado right before practice as well, but the injury report remains the same.

Aleksej Pokusevski (knee), Kenrich Williamson (wrist surgery), and Chet Holmgren (foot) are all out for Oklahoma City. The Pelicans are still without Zion Williamson (hamstring) and Jose Alvarado (tibia).

Feb 13, 2023; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) shoots as New Orleans Pelicans forward Herbert Jones (5) defends the shot during the second quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports

The battle lines have been set. On offense, Gilgeous-Alexander will try to get switches to attack Jonas Valanciunas and CJ McCollum. Trey Murphy III and Herb Jones talked about how to slow down Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (4th in scoring this season) in the press scrum after practice Tuesday. 

Jones will get the SGA assignment but help defense from Murphy III and Ingram will go a long way to avoiding foul trouble while still forcing turnovers. Still, the Pelicans will have to communicate on defense better than they did in Minnesota. The Thunder's supporting cast around Gilgeous-Alexander has really grown up this season. 

Josh Giddey in particular has done well as a distributor and floor general to ease the burdens of initiating the offense, which has given Gilgeous-Alexander even more freedom to find spots. The opportunity to see how far this squad has come has Coach Mark Daigneault "excited."

“It’s what I’m excited about,” Daigneault said before flying to New Orleans. “I’m excited to see what our best punch looks like, obviously, in a high-stakes game. Where there are a lot of distractions and a lot of noise. See if we can hone in and play a really, really good game.” 

Feb 13, 2023; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) passes the ball against New Orleans Pelicans guard Josh Richardson (2) during the second half at Paycom Center. New Orleans won 103-100. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports

Lu Dort will defend Ingram from the opening tip. Getting McCollum and Murphy III more active off the ball will keep the Thunder from blitzing and doubling Ingram when he is directing traffic from the top of the key.

Jonas Valanciunas should have the advantage down low, so the Pelicans should not have to deviate from the paint-pounding ways on offense. They will need to make more than 3 three-pointers though, or it will be the same story as the heartbreaker in Minnesota to wrap up the regular season.

If New Orleans were to win on Wednesday, they would face the loser of the game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday. If they win that game, they will secure the 8 seed and a first-round matchup with the Denver Nuggets. 

The Pelicans are just an averaging scoring team at 115.8 points per game but they do sport a top-10 defense. This formula has not always translated into wins for coach Willie Green but the Pelicans did end up with a winning record.

Oklahoma City and New Orleans have faced off against each other four times this season. The Pelicans won the first three but Zion Williamson was a wrecking ball in the first two contests. Two of those three games were played in Oklahoma City but the Thunder got the best of the Pelicans last month in New Orleans. Both teams feel good about their odds to advance coming into the must-win situation on Wednesday night.

Can the Pelicans find a way to win just one more game in the Smoothie King Center and extend the season? Stay tuned to find out if they'll play a revenge game again Friday in Minnesota or be flying off to vacation destinations. 

Thunder: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey, Lu Dort, Jalen Williams, Jaylin Williams

Pelicans: CJ McCollum, Herb Jones, Brandon Ingram, Trey Murphy III, Jonas Valanciunas