Oklahoma City Thunder vs New Orleans Pelicans Prediction, Preview and Odds - 03/26/2024

Game Time: 8:00 pm ET, Tuesday, March 26, 2024

Venue:  Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, LA

Where to Watch:  WVUE

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Thunder -1.5, Pelicans +1.5; Over/Under:  227 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Thunder -1.5, Pelicans +1.5; Over/Under:  227 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Thunder -1.5, Pelicans +1.5; Over/Under:  227 points

Oklahoma City Thunder:  49-21 (2nd place, Northwest Division)

New Orleans Pelicans:  44-27 (1st place, Southwest Division)

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Oklahoma City Thunder:  7-3 last 10

New Orleans Pelicans:  8-2 last 10

The Thunder are entering this game with a 49-21 record overall and they are 21-14 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a loss against the Milwaukee Bucks in their last game. Josh Giddey led the team in points in that game with 19 while Jalen Williams was next on the team with 18 points. Josh Giddey led the team in assists in that game with 8 while Josh Giddey led the team in rebounds with 9. They were 37.1% from the field, 23.3% from 3-point range, and 77.3% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 120.3 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 112.9 PPG against them. The Thunder have an ATS record of 40-29-1 this season and their O/U record is 36-31-3.

The Pelicans are entering this game with a 44-27 record overall and they are 20-13 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game on a 2 game winning streak with wins coming against the Miami Heat and the Detroit Pistons in their last game. Zion Williamson led the team in points in that game with 36 while CJ McCollum was next on the team with 23 points. CJ McCollum led the team in assists in that game with 7 while Trey Murphy III and Naji Marshall each led the team in rebounds with 8. They were 50.6% from the field, 32.4% from 3-point range, and 67.7% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 115.7 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 110.4 PPG against them. The Pelicans have an ATS record of 40-30-1 this season and their O/U record is 30-40-1.

The current betting odds have the Pelicans listed as a 1.5 point underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Pelicans have looked really good in their games this season with their 44-27 record overall which has them in a playoff spot in the West right now. They have looked great on their home court this year with their 20-13 home record and they have been surging up the standings lately. They have been really hot as of late with their 8-2 record in their last 10 games and they also have some momentum on their side with 2 wins in a row now. Meanwhile, the Thunder have also looked great in their games this season with their 49-21 record overall which has them right at the top of the West with one of the best records in the entire NBA. They have also been a really good road team this year with their 21-14 road record, but they haven't been as hot as the Pelicans coming into this one. The Pelicans have been the slightly hotter team coming into this one with their 8-2 record in their last 10 games while the Thunder are only 7-3 in their last 10 games. The Thunder have still been really hot lately, but they just lost a big game against the Bucks on the road in their last one and the Pelicans have the momentum on their side right now from 2 wins in a row. The best way to place a bet here is on the Pelicans to cover the spread in this game. 

Thunder Pelicans Prediction:  Our NBA Pick for Tuesday, March 26, 2024 (8:00 pm ET start time) is Pelicans 122 Thunder 116.

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Oklahoma City Thunder: 32-18 ATS against Southwest division opponents. 39-26 ATS off a road loss. 22-12 ATS after scoring 100 points or less. 16-9 OVER as a road favorite. 18-10 OVER after a game where they failed to cover the spread. 8-4 OVER off a road loss.

New Orleans Pelicans: 6-16 ATS off a road win. 1-14 ATS off a road win by 10 points or more. 29-19 OVER as a home underdog. 10-2 OVER off a no-cover where the team won straight up as a favorite. 8-4 OVER off 2 consecutive road wins by 10 points or more.

Oklahoma City Thunder:  L. Dort (SG) Ques Tues - Nose.

New Orleans Pelicans:  B. Ingram (SF) Mid April - Knee. D. Daniels (SG) Early April - Knee.

“They had him in a crowd for much of the night and made it very difficult for him to get his cracks. I thought as a team, just our overall pace and sharpness on offense wasn't where it needed to be.” - Mark Daigneault after his team’s loss against the Bucks in their game on Sunday.

“He got it going about halfway through the first quarter, and we were just going to ride it. That's why I didn't take him out until the second.” - Willie Green after his team’s win against the Pistons in their game on Sunday.

PG Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

SG Josh Giddey

SF Luguentz Dort

PF Jalen Williams

C Chet Holmgren

PG CJ McCollum

SG Trey Murphy III

SF Herbert Jones

PF Zion Williamson

C Jonas Valanciunas

PPG: S. Gilgeous-Alexander (30.5)

APG: S. Gilgeous-Alexander (6.3)

Reb/G: C. Holmgren (7.9)

PPG: Z. Williamson (22.6)

APG: B. Ingram (5.8)

Reb/G: J. Valanciunas (9.2)

Coaches:

Oklahoma City Thunder: Mark Daigneault (4th season)

New Orleans Pelicans: Willie Green (3rd season)