Three days after playing one of the best games of this year’s playoffs thus far, the Oklahoma City Thunder and New Orleans Pelicans ran it back.
Game two… wasn’t as close. OKC took NOLA to the woodshed behind elite performances from its big three, winning 124-92 and getting some playoff minutes for Ousmane Dieng and Lindy Waters to boot.
OKC came out firing. After a dismal offensive performance on Sunday, the Thunder flipped the script in the opening frame, hitting 7-11 threes and opening up an early 35-22 lead behind dominance from Chet Holmgren. Holmgren scored 15 in the first, going a perfect 5-5 from the field and hitting three shots from beyond the arc.
For New Orleans, Jonas Valanciunas went to work early, scoring eleven consecutive points to start the game and making an impact on the offensive boards. The onslaught by Valanciunas seemed like it was encouraged by OKC, who would rather have the Lithuanian big man attempt his best Wilt Chamberlin impression than kick it out to open shooters.
With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on the bench to start the second, Holmgren continued taking it to the Pelicans. He began to figure out how to slow Valanciunas, emphatically blocking an attempted baby hook, and limiting his effectiveness on the glass. By the time Holmgren was forced to the bench with his third foul, he already had 20 points.
When the Pelicans switched to a 2-3 zone, it briefly befuddled OKC, but Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams ripped it to shreds and quickly forced NOLA to return to man-to-man. OKC’s big three, along with Isaiah Joe and Lu Dort, led the Thunder to a 63-50 halftime lead.
The third quarter was equally as kind to the Thunder. OKC busted open a lead of 20+ points behind brilliance from Gilgeous-Alexander, who raised his total to 28 by the end of the third. While OKC’s offense was impressive, its defense was extremely strong in its own right. Dort once again had Brandon Ingram in the Dorture Chamber, Holmgren patrolled the paint, and Williams and Gilgeous-Alexander locked down in their own right.
By the end of the quarter, the Pelicans cut the lead to 18, but OKC was looking to extinguish the small amount of momentum NOLA had picked up as soon as possible.
Williams and Holmgren, along with Josh Giddey, quickly stomped out any hope the Pelicans had at making a comeback. OKC’s lead ballooned as large as 35+ points.
It was a sigh of relief for OKC fans to see the Thunder return to form after a dismal game one, and the big three proved the lights aren’t too bright for them to take over a game, even in the playoffs.
OKC hits the road and heads to New Orleans as games three and four will take place in the Crescent City. This season, NOLA has been better on the road than it has been at home, but the Pelicans and their fans are left hoping for a pair of strong performances if they want any chance to pull off the upset.
