After weeks of sitting just outside a spot for the play-in round of the NBA playoffs, the Oklahoma City Thunder is currently at 10th place in the Western Conference standings with a 27-28 record. The Thunder defeated the Trail Blazers in Portland on Saturday 138-129 as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander tied his career-high of 44 points. Luguentz Dort also played his first minutes in weeks, coming off the bench for some key defensive possessions down the stretch.
According to Tankathon.com, the Thunder has the second easiest remaining strength of schedule, but they have plenty of tough ones to finish out the season. OKC has a couple of home games before the NBA All-Star Break, starting with hosting the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday night.
Not too long ago, the Pelicans sat atop the Western Conference standings. They have been bitten by the injury bug, however, and they have fallen all the way to 7th with a 29-28 record. After losing 10 straight, the Pelicans have won 3 of their last 4, but they just received news that Zion Williamson re-aggravated his strained hamstring injury, so he will be re-evaluated after the All-Star Break. CJ McCollum may also sit out against the Thunder due to a sprained ankle.
Regardless of who is available for New Orleans, they have plenty of guys that have given OKC fits in the past. Brandon Ingram is an All-Star caliber player who tends to score at will against the Thunder, and Jonas Valanciunas is a big man who can easily pop off for a big game, particularly against an OKC team that doesn’t have a true center.
Game Details
Tip-Off: 7 PM CT
Location: Paycom Center (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)
Television: Bally Sports Oklahoma
Radio: WWLS 98.1FM OKC The Sports Animal
Twitter: Follow @ZacharyLowNBA for live tweets and discussion during the game
Game Notes: Oklahoma City Thunder Official Game Notes, New Orleans Pelicans Official Game Notes
Projected Starters
Thunder
- PG: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
- SG: Josh Giddey
- SF: Luguentz Dort
- PF: Jalen Williams
- C: Kenrich Williams
Pelicans
- PG: CJ McCollum
- SG: Brandon Ingram
- SF: Trey Murphy
- PF: Herbert Jones
- C: Jonas Valanciunas
Injury Report
Thunder
- Ousmane Dieng is OUT (non-displaced fractured right wrist).
- Chet Holmgren is OUT (right foot surgery).
- Tre Mann is OUT (G League — on assignment).
- Aleksej Pokusevski is OUT (left tibial plateau; non-displaced fracture).
- Jeremiah Robinson-Earl is AVAILABLE.
Pelicans
- Dyson Daniels is OUT (sprained right ankle).
- E.J. Liddell is OUT (right knee ACL injury recovery).
- CJ McCollum is QUESTIONABLE (sprained right ankle).
- Zion Williamson is OUT (strained right hamstring).
Head-to-Head
- Since arriving in Oklahoma City in 2008, the Thunder is 31-20 against the Pelicans (17-9 at home, 14-11 on the road).
- The Thunder has won the season series with the Pelicans 9 times, tied it once, and lost it 4 times.
- The Thunder went 2-1 against the Pelicans last season (1-1 at home, 1-0 on the road).
- The Thunder is 0-2 against the Pelicans so far this season (0-1 at home, 0-1 on the road).