The Western Conference top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder can punch their ticket to the West semifinals on Monday night with a win in Game 4 of their first-round series at New Orleans, which tries to avoid the sweep but is a home dog.

Oklahoma City Thunder vs. New Orleans Pelicans 2024 NBA Playoffs Game 4 Info

SGA and the @okcthunder cruise past the Pelicans to take a 3-0 series lead! Game 4 is Monday.

Josh Giddey: 21 PTS, 8 REB, 6 AST
Jalen Williams: 21 PTS, 9 REB, 5 AST
Brandon Ingram: 19 PTS, 4 REB, 2 3PM pic.twitter.com/mSE7IcSJ1y

— NBA (@NBA) April 28, 2024

• When: Monday, April 29th, 2024, 8:30 PM ET
• Where: Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, LA
• TV: ESPN
• Radio: WWLS-FM 98.1 The Sports Animal (Thunder) // WRNO 99.5 FM (Pelicans)
• Stream: NBA League Pass
• NBA Odds: Thunder (-4.5) // Pelicans (+4.5)

Why bet on the Oklahoma City Thunder?

Oklahoma City took complete control of this series with a 106-85 win in New Orleans in Game 3 on Saturday. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 24 points to go with eight assists, five rebounds and four steals. SGA wasn’t as efficient in this game in comparison to his performances in Games 1 and 2 as he was 8-for-20 shooting.

Josh Giddey had 21 points, eight boards and six helpers. He was one of three Oklahoma City players to score at least 20 points, a feat achieved by no one for the Pelicans. If Giddey can consistently knock down open shots, the Thunder are going to be tough to beat. Jalen Williams added 21 points, nine boards and five assists.

“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 Thunder shot 50 percent or better from the field in 42 games this regular season, the most games in a single season in team history. Previous high was 29. Oklahoma City finished the regular season ranked top-three in the league in field goal percentage (t-2nd 49.9), free throw percentage (t-3rd, 82.5), and three-point percentage (1st, 38.9). No other team ranks in the top five in all three.

The Thunder outshot the Pelicans, converting 40-of-83 (.482) from the floor and 17-of-36 (.472) from behind the arc, while New Orleans only shot 32-of-84 (.381) from the field and 9-of-32 (.281) from three-point range. The Pelicans turned the ball over 21 times, leading to 23 points for the Thunder, while Oklahoma City had 16 miscues leading to 12 points for the Pelicans. The Thunder outscored the Pelicans 21-16 in fast break points, while New Orleans outscored Oklahoma City 15-7 in second chance points.

Why bet on the New Orleans Pelicans?

New Orleans remains without injured All-Star forward Zion Williamson, and he likely only returns if the Pelicans advance to the next round. Down 3-0, that’s obviously very unlikely. The Pels need more from guard CJ McCollum. He had just 16 points on 7-for-22 shooting in Game 3. After falling behind early, New Orleans was never able to get back into the game, shooting just 38.1 percent from the floor as a team.

“Just missing shots, man, to be honest with you,” McCollum said. “I have had some quality looks. I have had some tough looks as well. But just missing shots. Been putting the work in behind closed doors. Understanding the game plan. I will continue to work on it.”

Brandon Ingram led the Pelicans with 19 points to go with five rebounds. With Williamson sidelined, the Pelicans have needed Ingram to put the team on his back. He simply hasn’t been able to do that. He is averaging 18.3 points per game in this series, which isn’t All-Star level production. They simply need him to shoot more, which is something that Lu Dort hasn’t made easy.

Larry Nance Jr. provided a boost off the bench with nine points, 13 rebounds and five assists in the loss. Jonas Valanciunas only logged 12 minutes as the starting center in this game, as Coach Willie Green opted to roll with Nance in a smaller lineup. Nance ended up having an excellent performance, though it didn’t end up having much of an impact on the scoreboard. JV played 29 minutes in Game 1 and 23 minutes in Game 2, so we’ll see if Green continues to use Nance heavily in Game 4.

No team has ever won an NBA series after trailing 3-0. “When you have one of your best players out, your margin for error shrinks. When your margin for error shrinks against one of the better teams, every bit of execution matters,” Green said, referring to Zion Williamson. “The turnovers, the way we set screens, the shot-taking that we have. … We just didn’t capitalize on our opportunities.”

In a 124-92 defeat in Game 2 on Wednesday, New Orleans suffered its most lopsided loss in a playoff game since 2009. On Saturday, it was held to fewest points by the franchise in a playoff game since 2011. They also started this series scoring 92 or fewer points in three consecutive games, which hasn’t been done since the 2016 Toronto Raptors. New Orleans is averaging more turnovers (17.7) than every other playoff team, and their total turnovers (53) are only three fewer than their total number of assists (56).

Thunder vs. Pelicans Betting Trends

• Oklahoma City is 6-1 ATS in the last 7 games.
• Thunder are 8-0 SU in its last 8 games.
• The total went under in 5 of Oklahoma City’s last 7 games.
• New Orleans is 2-4 ATS in the last 6 games.
• Pelicans are 1-5 SU in its last 6 games.
• The total went under in 4 of New Orleans’ last 5 games.

Thunder vs. Pelicans 2024 NBA Playoffs Game 4 Prediction

The Thunder takes the win on Monday night and heads into the next round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs.

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*All odds stated are subject to change without prior notice.

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