3rd Quarter Report

The Thunder are on the road but looking no worse for wear. They have a bit of a cushion as they currently lead the Pelicans 85-69.

The Thunder entered the match having won seven straight and they’re just one quarter away from another. Will they make it eight, or will the Pelicans step up and spoil it? We’ll know soon.

Who’s Playing

Oklahoma City Thunder @ New Orleans Pelicans

Regular Season Records: Oklahoma City 57-25, New Orleans 49-33

Current Series Standings: Oklahoma City 2, New Orleans 0

How To Watch

• When: Saturday, April 27, 2024 at 3:30 p.m. ET
• Where: Smoothie King Center — New Orleans, Louisiana
• TV: TNT
• Follow: CBS Sports App
• Ticket Cost: $21.84

What to Know

The Thunder have enjoyed a six-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. On Saturday, they will fight it out against the New Orleans Pelicans in a Western Conference playoff matchup at 3:30 p.m. ET at Smoothie King Center. The Thunder are the slight favorite, but fans should be in for an exciting match likely to go down to the wire.

The Thunder will head into Wednesday’s game hoping to keep the good times rolling: they only won by two when they last took the court, which might have inspired the 32-point they dealt the Pelicans on Wednesday. Everything went the Thunder’s way against the Pelicans as the Thunder made off with a 124-92 win.

The Thunder’s win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who scored 33 points along with five assists and two steals. Gilgeous-Alexander had some trouble finding his footing against the Pelicans on Sunday, so this was a step in the right direction. The team also got some help courtesy of Chet Holmgren, who scored 26 points along with seven rebounds and two blocks.

The Thunder are sitting pretty at the moment, as they lead the series with the Pelicans 2-0. Check back on CBS Sports after the game to see if the Thunder can extend their lead or if the Pelicans can make up some ground.

Odds

Oklahoma City is a slight 1-point favorite against New Orleans, according to the latest NBA odds.

The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 1-point spread, and stayed right there.

The oddsmakers are predicting a defensive showdown and set the over/under low at 209.5 points.

See NBA picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get picks now.

Series History

Oklahoma City has won 6 out of their last 10 games against New Orleans.

• Apr 24, 2024 – Oklahoma City 124 vs. New Orleans 92
• Apr 21, 2024 – Oklahoma City 94 vs. New Orleans 92
• Mar 26, 2024 – Oklahoma City 119 vs. New Orleans 112
• Jan 26, 2024 – Oklahoma City 107 vs. New Orleans 83
• Nov 01, 2023 – New Orleans 110 vs. Oklahoma City 106
• Apr 12, 2023 – Oklahoma City 123 vs. New Orleans 118
• Mar 11, 2023 – Oklahoma City 110 vs. New Orleans 96
• Feb 13, 2023 – New Orleans 103 vs. Oklahoma City 100
• Dec 23, 2022 – New Orleans 128 vs. Oklahoma City 125
• Nov 28, 2022 – New Orleans 105 vs. Oklahoma City 101

Following a dog fight throughout Game 1, Oklahoma City controlled things for nearly the entire contest in Game 2 over the Pelicans.

From just a two-point win to a 32-point blowout, it was quite the stark contrast between the two games for the Thunder, and it came on the offensive front.

Converting shots that weren’t able to fall and also getting a bit better looks from the field, the Thunder’s ability to shoot 48.3% from three on 29 tries and 59.0% overall elevated them to that level of play on Wednesday night, as well as a huge game from rookie Chet Holmgren.

Now headed to Bourbon Street for their first game in New Orleans in this series, Oklahoma City looks to close things outright in the next two games and head back home for some rest rather than a Game 5.

ODDS: 

The Thunder enter the day as 1.5-point favorites against the Pelicans, and the total over/under is 209.5 points.

KEYS TO THE GAME: 

Against a team on the road who has already proven their ability to rally and scrap throughout a full 48 minutes, Oklahoma City will surely look to get out ahead quickly and curb any possible momentum from accruing on the New Orleans side.

Limiting CJ McCollum and Brandon Ingram as volume scorers will certainly be a point of emphasis as it has been so far in the series. But behind a home crowd and playoff environment, it’s more important on the road to diminish their confidence and lock them down while they can’t build a raucous crowd.

On the Oklahoma City side, another big game will be needed from Holmgren to minimize the impact of Jonas Valanciunas, both on the boards and as an interior scorer. From Game 1 to Game 2, Holmgren made a strong improvement on that front, cutting down his rebounding numbers from 20 to just seven between those two contests.

Lastly, a proficient shooting day should be in the works for Mark Daigneault’s squad if he hopes to take this first one on the road, as it was shown the impact it had on the outcome of Game 2. 3-point shooting from all around will be needed, like this team has shown it’s able to do.

RECORDS: 

Oklahoma City Thunder (57-25) vs. New Orleans Pelicans (49-33)

INJURIES: 

Check out our live injury tracker, along with our game day injury report that will release later today.

WHEN: 

Saturday, April 27, 2024 at 2:30 PM CT

LOCATION: 

Smoothie King Center – New Orleans, LA

TV/RADIO: 

Bally Sports Oklahoma, NBA League Pass, 98.1 FM The Sports Animal

Live Stream: fuboTV (Start Your Free Trial)

FINAL WORD:  

Oklahoma City will need to punch New Orleans in the mouth to begin this game on Saturday afternoon, and limit any chances of the Pelicans feeding off of a booming crowd.

The Thunder will hope to take Game 3 before looking for a possible sweep in Game 4 on Monday.

Want to join the discussion? Like Inside the Thunder on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Thunder news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.m

The Cowboys got a late-night commit.

Indiana transfer running back Trent Howland took a visit to Oklahoma State this week, and he apparently enjoyed it. Howland announced his commitment to the Cowboys in the waning hours of Friday night. A redshirt sophomore this past season with the Hoosiers, Howland is listed at 6-foot-3, 240 pounds and rushed for 354 yards and a pair of touchdowns in 2023. He should have two seasons of eligibility remaining.

Howland was also considering Ole Miss, Duke and UCF, per ESPN’s Pete Thamel.

Out of Joliet, Illinois, Howland was a three-star prospect in the 2021 recruiting class. He chose Indiana over offers from Iowa State, Nebraska, Minnesota and others out of high school.

Howland entered the transfer portal in November and initially made a commitment to Minnesota before a change of heart. He then re-entered the portal in April — leading him to Stillwater.

He becomes the second portal running back the Cowboys have taken this offseason, joining Arkansas transfer AJ Green. Howland continues what has become a trend of the Cowboys going after big, bruising backs. Ollie Gordon is listed at 6-2, 215, and the Cowboys picked up Jaden Allen-Hendrix from the high school ranks, who OSU listed at 6-2, 225 on signing day.

Howland’s best performance of the past season came in a November game against Michigan State, where he rushed 19 times for 77 yards and a score. He also had a 13-carry, 72-yard performance against Illinois.

He played nine games for the Hoosiers during the 2022 season, playing both running back and linebacker, primarily playing special teams. That year, he rushed for 12 yards on only two attempts. As a true freshman in 2021, Howland carried six times for 20 yards, redshirting while playing three games.

Howland could provide a release valve for Gordon in the carry department. Gordon carried 285 times in 2023, the eighth-most in program history. Only Gordon and Chuba Hubbard have had 280 carries in a season at OSU since 1996. Lightening Gordon’s load was a topic Mike Gundy touched on earlier this spring.

“We have a lot of carries for another back,” Gundy said. “The 30 carry a game for Ollie is somewhat concerning. Perfect world would be 20 to keep him healthy throughout for us and his career. He had to carry the load last year, moreso than what we’d like. There’s enough carries to go around.”

Picking up Howland could also be a good move for the future. He has two seasons of eligibility remaining, and many early projections have Gordon as one of (if not the) top available running backs for next year’s NFL Draft. Green has just one season of eligibility remaining. So even past him potentially playing a role in 2024, grabbing Howland now could set the Pokes up nicely in 2025.