After taking the first two contests in this series at home, the Oklahoma City Thunder will attempt to grab control of the matchup in Game 3 Saturday afternoon when they visit the New Orleans Pelicans in the Big Easy. The Pelicans were scrappy in Game 1 and had a chance to win at the end, but Game 2 was all OKC from the start. We’ll see if the underdogs are able to punch back or if the No. 1 seed in the West flexes its muscles and keeps dominating.
New Orleans remains without Zion Williamson, while Oklahoma City is clean on the injury front.
The Thunder are 1-point favorites at DraftKings Sportsbook, with the total coming in at 209. Oklahoma City is -118 on the moneyline while New Orleans is -102.
Thunder vs. Pelicans, 3:30 p.m. ET
Pick ATS: Thunder -1
Oklahoma City went 24-17 straight up on the road this season, though its ATS mark is 19-21-1. New Orleans was not great at home with a 21-21 ATS mark, going slightly above .500 straight up. The big thing to watch will be whether New Orleans’ defense can rediscover its Game 1 form. The Pelicans held the Thunder to 94 points, although they failed to generate much offense themselves. New Orleans has scored 92 points in both games, while the Thunder exploded for 124 points in Game 2.
I think the Thunder will be motivated by the results from Minnesota and Denver in their respective Game 3s to grab this contest and show they are a serious contender in the West. Give me Oklahoma City to cover and take a 3-0 series lead.
Over/Under: Over 209
The Thunder are 24-16-1 to the over as the road team this season while the Pelicans are 20-22 to the over at home. I think Oklahoma City’s offense continues to roll in this contest, while New Orleans continues to struggle without Zion Williamson. Totals can be hard to gauge in blowouts since one side is fighting a truly uphill battle and eventually pulls the plug, but I think this game stays close enough long enough for the over to hit.
