Oklahoma City Thunder vs New Orleans Pelicans Prediction, Preview and Odds - 04/12/2023

Game Time: 9:30 pm ET, Wednesday, April 12, 2023

Venue:  Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, LA 

Where to Watch:  ESPN

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Thunder +5, Pelicans -5; Over/Under:  228.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Thunder +5, Pelicans -5; Over/Under:  228.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Thunder +5, Pelicans -5; Over/Under:  228.5 points

Oklahoma City Thunder:  40-42 (3rd place, Northwest Division)

New Orleans Pelicans:  42-40 (2nd place, Southwest Division)

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Oklahoma City Thunder:  4-6 last 10

New Orleans Pelicans:  7-3 last 10

The Thunder finished the regular season with a 40-42 record overall and they were 16-25 in their road 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 Utah Jazz and the Memphis Grizzlies in their last game. Jared Butler led the team in points in that game with 25 while Tre Mann was next on the team with 24 points. Tre Mann led the team in assists in that game with 12 while Olivier Sarr led the team in rebounds with 15. They were 50% from the field, 33.3% from 3-point range, and 81.3% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 117.5 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 116.4 PPG against them. The Thunder have an ATS record of 45-34-3 this season and their O/U record is 46-36.

The Pelicans finished the regular season with a 42-40 record overall and they were 27-14 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off of a loss against the Minnesota Timberwolves in their last game. Brandon Ingram led the team in points in that game with 42 while CJ McCollum was next on the team with 23 points. Brandon Ingram led the team in assists in that game with 7 while Jonas Valančiūnas led the team in rebounds with 18. They were 44.4% from the field, 14.3% from 3-point range, and 86.2% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 114.4 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 112.5 PPG against them. The Pelicans have an ATS record of 39-41-2 this season and their O/U record is 38-44.

The current betting odds have the Pelicans listed as a 5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. This is the play-in game for the Western Conference playoffs between the 9th and 10th seed where the winner of this game will face the loser of the game between the 7th and 8th seed to earn a playoff series. The Pelicans ended the season with a winning 42-40 record overall while the Thunder had a losing 40-42 record overall. The Thunder do have some momentum on their side with 2 wins in a row now coming into this one but they have also been a bad road team all year with their 16-25 road record. The Pelicans have been a really good home team all year though with their 27-14 home record and they have been doing it without their best player Zion Williamson. He is supposed to be coming back for the playoffs so his team will make sure they give their best effort here on their home court to ensure they make it into the playoffs where they could have a deep run. The Thunder have been playing better lately but they still have a losing record and were one of the worst teams in the NBA last season. They have come a long way from last year but this team still needs more time as they are not quite there yet while the Pelicans have a more complete team that is ready to win now and they are more deserving of a playoff spot here. 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 Wednesday, April 12, 2023 (9:30 pm ET start time) is Pelicans 121 Thunder 110.

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Oklahoma City Thunder: 20-11 ATS as a road underdog. 14-5 ATS after a win by 10 points or more. 22-14 UNDER as a road underdog of 6 points or less.

New Orleans Pelicans: 3-10 ATS revenging a home loss vs opponent. 26-16 UNDER as a favorite. 24-16 UNDER after playing a road game.

Oklahoma City Thunder:  A. Pokusevski (PF) Ques Wed - Knee. J. Williams (PF) Ques Wed - Back. L. Dort (SG) Ques Wed - Shoulder. J. Williams (SG) Ques Wed - Wrist. K. Williams (SG) out for season - Wrist. C. Holmgren (C) out for season - Foot.

New Orleans Pelicans:  J. Alvarado (PG) Mid April - Shin. Z. Williamson (PF) Mid April - Hamstring. E. Liddell (SF) Out indefinitely - Knee.

“Offensively they moved the ball and made all the right plays and allowed the defense to dictate what we got. And I thought we got great shots as a result." - Mark Daigneault after his team’s win against the Grizzlies in their game on Sunday.

“Too many mistakes. When you get to this point in the season, everything counts.” - Willie Green after his team’s loss against the Timberwolves in their game on Sunday.

PG Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

SG Josh Giddey

SF Luguentz Dort 

PF Jalen Williams

C Jaylin Williams

PG CJ McCollum

SG Trey Murphy III

SF Brandon Ingram

PF Herbert Jones

C Jonas Valanciunas

PPG: S. Gilgeous-Alexander (31.4)

APG: J. Giddey (6.2)

Reb/G: J. Giddey (7.9)

PPG: Z. Williamson (26)

APG: B. Ingram (5.8)

Reb/G: J. Valanciunas (10.2)

Coaches:

Oklahoma City Thunder: Mark Daigneault (3rd season)

New Orleans Pelicans: Willie Green (2nd season)