The New Orleans Pelicans fell to the Oklahoma City Thunder 94-92 in Game One of the Western Conference Quarterfinals on Sunday night in the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City. The Best-of-Seven series is now 1-0 in favor of the Thunder.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The game began fairly sluggish on both sides. Perhaps postseason nerves were in effect as neither offense got fully clicking in the game’s first quarter. After the period, the game was tied at 17.
Neither team shot the ball great in the first half, but New Orleans struggled even more than the Thunder. However, the Pelicans kept more possessions alive via the offensive rebound. They used a 16-2 advantage in second chance points to hold a small lead throughout much of the quarter. By the end of the half, we were tied once again, this time at 43. CJ McCollum led the Pels with nine first half points, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 11 to pace the Thunder.
The start of the third quarter saw Oklahoma City start to make their run. They got off to a better offensive start, and quickly built their largest lead of the game at five points. The Pelicans offense continued to struggle, and OKC saw the lead grow as big as nine in the quarter. New Orleans made a run and eventually retook the lead, but another Thunder spurt made it 74-68 in favor of the home side after three quarters.
These two battled throughout, and the fourth quarter was no exception. The physicality continued, and the Thunder at one point increased the lead back to nine. However, Naji Marshall sparked offense with a couple of steals, and Trey Murphy III paced the Pelicans second half offense with a few huge baskets. Inside of four minutes to play, a Herb Jones three tied the game at 88.
In the final four minutes, New Orleans had a 90-88 lead. However, they could not hit multiple open looks. SGA made a few tough shots, and the Thunder went ahead 93-90. The Pelicans got a two from McCollum to make it 93-92, and Chet Holmgren only made one of two free throws. With 14 seconds left, the Pelicans had a chance to tie or take the lead. However, McCollum’s three was no good and OKC held on to win the game.
BIG NUMBER: 92
New Orleans was held to just 92 points in game one, as they shot under 40%. The Thunder defense kept them in the game throughout and helped them get the game one victory.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
One of the league’s premier scorers, SGA had a big night for the Thunder. He hit the eventual game-winner in the late stages of the Game One win for OKC.
UP NEXT: Game Two between the Pelicans and Thunder will be Wednesday night at 8:30 in the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City.