Global Courant 2023-04-13 10:15:04
The Oklahoma City Thunder used a second-half push to defeat the New Orleans Pelicans on the road in the NBA play-in tournament, 123-118.
The Thunder will now meet the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday for the chance to secure the eighth and final seed in the Western Conference for the first round of the NBA playoffs.
The game rippled back and forth late in the fourth quarter as both teams traded buckets to keep the game close. The Pelicans used an early run in the fourth quarter, scoring seven straight runs to come within two, and it stayed close to the end.
Luguentz Dort #5 of the Oklahoma City Thunder shoots against Brandon Ingram #14 of the New Orleans Pelicans during the first half at the Smoothie King Center on April 12, 2023 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
However, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder’s biggest star, did what All-Stars do: get in the groove.
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Trailing by one, Gilgeous-Alexander took a transition pass on a miss by CJ McCollum and made a tricky drive layup to go one up with 28.1 seconds left to play.
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Brandon Ingram would miss the Pelicans’ next possession, opening the door for OKC to put it away.
Josh Giddey and Lu Dort hit clutch free throws, but Ingram redeemed himself by hitting a three-pointer to cut the lead to one.
But it was Gilgeous-Alexander who made the ice with more free throws to advance in the tournament.
Gilgeous-Alexander had only seven points at the half, but he finished the game with 32 points to lead the Thunder in that category, going 11-for-22 from the field, including a perfect 8-for-8 of the charity streak with five rebounds and three assists.
Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8) celebrates with forward Jaylin Williams (6) and guard Josh Giddey (3) during the first half of the team’s NBA basketball game against the New Orleans Pelicans in New Orleans, Wednesday, April 12 December 2023. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)
But of course he wasn’t the only one to win this victory. Giddey stepped up with 31 points as he hauled in nine rebounds and dished out 10 assists as the 20-year-old was red hot in his first taste of the postseason.
Dort was also a machine in the first half, dropping 20 points, 14 of them in the first quarter. He finished the game with 27 points, including four 3-pointers.
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For the Pelicans, Ingram led with 30 points 10-of-19 from the field. But McCollum had a disappointing performance taking only 5 of 15 shots for 14 points.
Jonas Valanciunas had the perfect match in the paint, as the Thunder don’t have a real centerpiece on their roster right now. He had a double-double in the first half with 11 points and 12 rebounds.
But OKC was able to keep him at bay in the second half, at least on points. He finished with 16 points and 18 rebounds.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 of the Oklahoma City Thunder rides against Brandon Ingram #14 of the New Orleans Pelicans during the first half at the Smoothie King Center on April 12, 2023 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
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Trey Murphy III had 21 points for New Orleans, while Herbert Jones also dropped 20 points.
