The New Orleans Pelicans and Oklahoma City Thunder resume their first-round series in the 2024 NBA Playoffs Wednesday, with the No. 1 seed hoping to have an easier time in this contest after a tense Game 1. The Pelicans will feel they let an opportunity slip away but showed they weren’t simply going to lie down despite being without star forward Zion Williamson. Brandon Ingram will look to bounce back from a rough showing in Game 1 for the Pelicans, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will feel he left plenty of points on the court for Oklahoma City.
Williamson remains sidelined, although he said he was optimistic about a playoff return in comments to the media recently. The Thunder are clean on the injury front.
The Thunder are 7.5-point favorites at DraftKings Sportsbook, with the total set at 211.5. Oklahoma City is -340 on the moneyline while New Orleans is +270.
Pelicans vs. Thunder, 9:30 p.m. ET
Pick ATS: Pelicans +7.5
Game 2s tend to be vastly different from Game 1s, largely because both teams make adjustments. There will be variations in shooting performances, which both the Pelicans and Thunder hope will be the case with their star players. Since Game 1 was close, it’s possible Game 2 becomes a bit more lopsided. The Thunder went 33-24 ATS after a win this season while the Pelicans went 21-12-1 ATS after a loss. Something has to give.
Ingram and SGA should fare better from the field, but I think the Pelicans make more of an effort to test the Thunder on the interior and potentially get Chet Holmgren in foul trouble. Oklahoma City might still be able to grab the victory but I’ll take New Orleans to cover this line again.
Over/Under: Over 211.5
The Thunder are 44-36-3 to the over as a whole but just 20-20-2 to the over as the home side. The Pelicans are 36-48-1 to the over on the year, going 16-25-1 to the over as the road side. The last contest went well under this number but both team’s stars should have better shooting nights. I think that will be enough to barely push this total over the line.
