Oklahoma City Thunder at New Orleans Pelicans 03/11/2023 Picks & Preview

The Oklahoma City Thunder pay a visit to the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center on Saturday night.

Injuries:

  • Thunder

    • None

  • Pelicans

    • G Jose Alvarado (tibial) out

    • F Brandon Ingram (ankle) questionable

    • F Zion Williamson (hamstring) out

  • Oklahoma City is 17-11-3 ATS on the road this season, the 3rd-best covering team away from home. While also solid.
  • New Orleans is just 18-14 ATS at home.
  • The Thunder are 9-4 ATS in the last 13 meetings overall and the Thunder are 5-0 ATS in the last five meetings in New Orleans
  • The Pelicans are 1-4 ATS in their last five games playing on two days rest, 2-5 ATS in their last seven games against a team with a losing record and 2-6 ATS in their last eight games overall
  • The over-under record in these same games is 3-2, with the teams combining for an average of 222 points per game

The Thunder will again be without Kenrich Williams, while the Pelicans are still missing Jose Alvarado and Zion Williamson while Brandon Ingram is listed as questionable. This season, the Thunder offense has primarily worked through Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey who are 1st and 2nd on the team in scoring On defense, the Thunder will look for some improved play, as they are currently the 15th ranked unit in points allowed per game. The Oklahoma City Thunder were on a nice run as they have reeled off three wins on the trot before they got stopped by the red-hot Suns in a 132-101 road loss on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the New Orleans Pelicans have been in a real slump as they’ve lost six of their last eight games overall, but they will be looking to stay hot after beating the Mavericks in a 113-106 win on Wednesday. If New Orleans continues to struggle with their outside shot, they may look to start playing with more pace, as they are currently 15th in the league in possessions per game. On defense, the Pelicans will look for some improved play, as they are currently the 13th ranked unit in points allowed per game.

The Thunder come in as the team in better form and they should be just about at full health compared to the Pelicans who could be without Ingram for this one. With that being said, I’ll side with the Thunder to pull off the minor upset on the road in this spot.