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.
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
Oklahoma
Main Card Results | UFC Oklahoma City
Du Plessis returns to the Octagon for the first time since losing his middleweight title to Khamzat Chimaev last August. Standing across from him is Usman, a former welterweight champion who defended his title five times, with signature wins over Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington. The pair headline a stacked card filled with rising contenders and can’t-miss prospects.
Where To Watch UFC Oklahoma City
Live results, highlights, fight recaps, post-fight interviews and more will be added throughout the event. Preview each matchup below before the action begins. The main card kicks off Saturday at 8pm ET/5pm PT live on Paramount+ in the United States.
UFC Oklahoma City Main Card Results:
Oklahoma
‘ALWAYS OPTIMISTIC!’ Tulsa’s U.V. Okies level up with Nintendo donation
TULSA, Okla. — Tulsa’s U.V. Okies are six-time undefeated Wii bowling champions of the Tulsa Senior Inter-League — and now they’re leveling up.
Nintendo America contacted University Village Retirement Community after the senior bowling team’s story went viral- thanks to their Instagram reels, and features by news outlets like the New York Times and 2 News Oklahoma.
WATCH: POSITIVELY OKLAHOMA: Tulsa Gaming Seniors level up to Nationals:
POSITIVELY OKLAHOMA: Tulsa Gaming Seniors level up to Nationals
Inspired by their story, the company is donating Nintendo Switch 2 systems to each retirement community in the Tulsa league.
Wayne Wall, Life Enrichment Coordinator at University Village, said the outreach came as a surprise.
“I did not expect to hear from Nintendo at all,” Wall said.
GALLERY: “ALWAYS OPTIMISTIC!” Tulsa’s U.V. Okies level up with Nintendo donation
The company reached out to Wall about what the team had come to represent.
“They contacted me and said we’re excited about how Wii bowling is bringing people together at this stage of their life and helping them to have that camaraderie and have fun in this stage of their life and we would like to do something to contribute to that, to be a part of that,” Wall said.
Nintendo donated two Nintendo Switch 2 systems for each retirement community in the league, along with additional gear like extra Joy-Cons, and games. Teams from across Tulsa picked up their gifts at the championship celebration on July 16, 2026, at University Village in Tulsa — and the timing could not have been better. The old equipment had run its course.
“The Wii systems were becoming obsolete and hard to replace,” Wall said.
Come spring 2027, the Tulsa league will make the switch to bowling on the Switch 2. Competing Tulsa teams hope the new systems evens things out.
Fritz Gernandt of the Town Village Strikers had a message for the six-time champions.
“I can only say it once and really loud, look out,” Gernandt said.
The U.V. Okies are not intimidated. Phyllis Wimer, 95 — known on the lanes by nicknames like “The GOAT” and “The Killer” — has already been putting in work on the Switch 2.
KJRH
“I’ve got the new system at home, and I have bowled a 300 on it, and I’m the only one so far that has,” Wimer said.
Dorothy Salen, 101, who led the U.V. Okies in the national league last fall and goes by “Dangerous Dorothy,” is keeping her trademark outlook heading into the new season.
“Always optimistic!” Salen said.
For the U.V. Okies, the game — and the fun — is never over.
The team has one more Wii bowling match planned before their equipment gets retired. They will play the staff at University Village to raise money for Alzheimer’s awareness next week.
2 News Oklahoma was the first to bring you the story of the U.V. Okies success, and we’ve been updating you along the way.
You can learn more about University Village HERE.
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere —
Oklahoma
Oklahoma first responders join rescue efforts as deadly Texas floods claim more lives
OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklah. — Deadly flooding in Texas has prompted another wave of Oklahoma first responders to head south to help with rescue and recovery efforts as the death toll continues to rise.
Days of relentless rain have battered the Texas Hill Country, an area often called “Flash Flood Valley,” turning rivers into violent torrents that ripped out trees, washed away roads, and left communities underwater.
In Kerr County, floodwaters tore apart a roadway, leaving twisted pavement and debris behind.
The devastation comes one year after catastrophic flooding that claimed more than 130 lives across Texas.
Hundreds of rescue crews from across the nation have mobilized to Texas, including teams from Oklahoma and the United Cajun Navy, to save lives and limit further loss.
On Tuesday, Gov. Kevin Stitt and the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management deployed 25 members of Oklahoma Task Force One to Texas. Brad Smith, an Oklahoma Task Force leader, said, “It’s nothing we haven’t seen before. We know what to expect.”
By Thursday, another Oklahoma team rolled south, made up of Oklahoma City firefighters, an Oklahoma City police officer and members of the Yukon Fire Department. Guymon’s specialized swiftwater search and rescue team also responded. “This is a highly trained group of people, very experienced,” Smith said. “We’ve been to out-of-state deployments on this type of thing before and feel very confident in the type of work we’ll be expected to do down there.”
The crews are joining a growing interstate response centered in the Texas Hill Country, now the epicenter of the flooding disaster.
Amy Metz, chief meteorologist with the United Cajun Navy, described the intensity of the flooding and the challenges it has created for rescuers. “They couldn’t get boats to somebody who was submerged in a vehicle in a tree, and so I did hear later after about an hour and a half there were able to get that man to safety,” Metz said.
Metz also described damage caused by the force of the water. “It picked up a barge, one that was there to do some cleanup from last year’s floods, got lifted and thrown down the dam probably a half mile up to a mile away, crashing into a bridge that is now gone,” she said.
At least two people have died, and more than 200 people have been rescued.
Several rounds of slow-moving thunderstorms during the past two days have flooded six Texas counties.
Metz said the rainfall totals have been extreme. “Since Monday, the Hill Country has seen at least 20 inches of rain. That could very well have gone up to 30 in some places and with it river rise. The gauges did show within one hour it shot up 25 feet,” she said.
Metz said the United Cajun Navy is prepared to help with boat ferry deliveries and highway cleanup with chainsaws once flooding subsides.
-
Los Angeles, Ca17 minutes agoCybertruck driver arrested for DUI after Los Angeles pursuit crash
-
Detroit, MI41 minutes agoDER Weekends: Pathways for first-gen students at the University of Detroit Mercy – WDET 101.9 FM
-
San Francisco, CA53 minutes ago“There is no ceiling”: Welcome to Area AI
-
Dallas, TX59 minutes agoCowboys news: Dak Prescott embraces high expectations in Dallas
-
Miami, FL1 hour agoHow to watch France vs. England in the third-place FIFA World Cup match: TV channel, streaming, kickoff time
-
Boston, MA1 hour agoPolice investigating deadly shooting in Allston – Boston News, Weather, Sports | WHDH 7News
-
Denver, CO1 hour agoFormer strip club owner selling Castle Pines mansion for $8M
-
Seattle, WA1 hour ago‘Imagine you crushed a raccoon like a can’: Curley describes viral deformed ‘mutant’ Jimothy – MyNorthwest.com