Oklahoma
Thunder Gameday: Oklahoma City Looks to Take First Road Game in New Orleans
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.
Apr 24, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; New Orleans Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas (17)
Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports
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.
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Oklahoma
Oklahoma State outlasts UCF in overtime, Houston next
The Oklahoma State Cowboys men’s basketball bounced back in a big way Tuesday night.
Anthony Roy scored 27 points and Kanye Clary added 23, including seven in overtime, as Oklahoma State defeated the UCF Knights men’s basketball 111-104 in Orlando.
The Cowboys controlled the extra period, finishing overtime on an 11-4 run and outscoring UCF 17-10.
Clary played a major role in closing it out. He hit a key 3-pointer and went 4-for-4 from the free throw line in overtime to help seal the win.
The victory moves Oklahoma State to 18-12 overall and 6-11 in the Big 12, and gives the Cowboys two wins in their last three games after snapping a five-game losing streak. UCF, now 20-9 (9-8 Big 12), has dropped two straight.
Roy and Clary led a balanced offensive effort. Jaylen Curry and Christian Coleman each added 16 points, while the Cowboys shot 49% from the field (35-of-72) and 80% from the free throw line (32-of-40).
Themus Fulks led UCF with 22 points, while Riley Kugel added 18.
Late-game drama forces overtime
The final seconds of regulation were chaotic.
With 24 seconds remaining, Isaiah Coleman threw down a dunk to give Oklahoma State a 94-91 lead.
But UCF answered quickly when Chris Johnson hit a 3-pointer with 11 seconds left, tying the game at 94-94.
Oklahoma State had a chance to win it at the buzzer, but Jaylen Curry missed a shot, and John Bol blocked Roy’s attempt, sending the game to overtime.
Cowboys respond after tough loss
The Cowboys showed resilience after Saturday’s lopsided loss to Cincinnati.
The team traveled directly to Orlando following that defeat and was pushed through two intense practices by head coach Steve Lutz and the coaching staff.
The response was clear.
Led by Roy’s scoring and Clary’s clutch overtime performance, Oklahoma State delivered a gritty win and swept the season series against UCF
Oklahoma
Oklahoma City police are investigating after a man was shot near Yukon
YUKON, Okla. (KOKH) — Oklahoma City Police are investigating after a man was shot near Yukon Monday night.
The shooting happened near Northwest 10th Street and South Yukon Parkway near the border of Yukon and Oklahoma City.
Police are on the scene, and officials said the victim was transported to the hospital in critical condition with a gunshot wound to the hip.
OKCPD said they have at least one person in custody.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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Oklahoma
Oklahoma lawmakers consider bill to require annual fee for transmission lines on private property
As consumer electricity needs grow, lawmakers are discussing strategies to ease the burden on landowners who don’t want the towers and wires carrying that energy on their property.
As it’s written now, the bill would require transmission owners to pay landowners $2 per foot of line annually. During the committee meeting, Murdock said he introduced the legislation to “start a conversation.”
“ This is an idea of, maybe moving forward, if the landowners are getting a royalty off of the power being pushed across their property, it may make it a little more palatable for someone to have a transmission line go across their property,” he said.
Landowners can enter into easement agreements with companies to set aside portions of their land for the builds. But in some cases, eminent domain is used to obtain a right-of-way.
“ I’m not saying that this is going to do away with eminent domain,” Murdock said. “What I’m hoping is this just makes it a little more palatable.”
Murdock said he spoke with utility companies about the legislation, though he didn’t name them. The bill’s language could change after creating an alternative rate based on conversations with the companies, he said.
Sen. Dave Rader, R-Tulsa, said the bill could raise utility rates for consumers living in Oklahoma’s most populous counties if companies charge more to make up for the annual fee.
Murdock pushed back, noting the lines are necessary to deliver electricity to other counties.
“You understand that you flip that light on because — and have that ability to have electricity because — the people in my district have a transmission line that goes across them, getting you that power,” he said.
StateImpact Oklahoma is a partnership of Oklahoma’s public radio stations which relies on contributions from readers and listeners to fulfill its mission of public service to Oklahoma and beyond. Donate online.
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