The Oklahoma City Thunder will travel to play the New Orleans Pelicans for the play-in tournament.
The matchup between the ninth and 10th seeds is scheduled for Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. CT on ESPN. The winner will face the loser of the game between the seventh and eighth seeds (Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves) on Friday for the right to advance to the playoffs as the eighth seed.
The Thunder and Pelicans played each other four times, spread out evenly, throughout the regular season. The Thunder went 1-3 but three of the four games were decided by four points or less.
Let’s review the four games as a way to potentially forecast how Wednesday’s play-in game will play out.
Nov. 28, 2022: Pelicans 105, Thunder 101
This was the first of the four matchups and also the least relevant when trying to use it as a reference point for the play-in game.
Considering this game was played in November, it’s not surprising to see it age poorly when it comes to its relevance five months later.
Zion Williamson, who will be out, led the Pelicans to the win with 23 points on 11-of-18 shooting. Brandon Ingram and C.J. McCollum boh missed this game due to injury, which will not be the case on Wednesday.
The Thunder starting lineup looks completely different. Aleksej Pokusevski and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl drew the starts then. Neither will likely play in the play-in tournament.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way for OKC with 31 points but on inefficient 7-of-21 shooting. He went 16-of-18 from the free-throw line. Herb Jones harassed him throughout this game.
The full recap of this game can be read here.
Dec. 23, 2022: Pelicans 128, Thunder 125 (OT)
The most exciting of the four games, this high-scoring contest extended beyond regulation.
The Thunder overcame a 21-point deficit to eventually send this game to overtime. A 31-16 third-quarter scoring advantage helped accomplish that. OKC eventually gained a nine-point lead with 4:53 left in the game, but the Pelicans finished regulation on a 16-7 run.
Without Williamson or Ingram, the Pelicans used a well-balanced scoring diet to eke out the overtime win.
Meanwhile, Gilgeous-Alexander matched his career high of 44 points on 17-of-29 shooting. He also had 10 rebounds and six assists as Jones struggled to contain him.
The full recap of this game can be read here.
Feb. 23, 2023: Pelicans 103, Thunder 101
Similar to the second matchup, the Thunder trailed by 20 points before clawing back to have a chance to tie it at the end.
Isaiah Joe had a chance to tie with a 3 with 1.1 seconds remaining but missed the shot.
This game is the most useful of the bunch when it comes to forecasting what Wednesday’s game will look like in terms of rotations. The Pelicans were without Williamson, so Ingram carried them to the win with 34 points on 14-of-24 shooting.
Meanwhile, Gilgeous-Alexander struggled. He finished with 24 points on 8-of-21 shooting. Jalen Williams was great in this game with 22 points on 9-of-15 shooting.
The full recap of this game can be read here.
March 11, 2023: Thunder 110-96
This was the Thunder’s sole win over the Pelicans as well as the only lopsided contest of the season series.
Needing the win to keep pace in the play-in race, Gilgeous-Alexander was dominant with 35 points on 11-of-23 shooting and 13-of-13 from the free-throw line.
While this win was fun, it comes with a caveat. The Pelicans were without Williamson and Ingram. McCollum scored a team-high 26 points on 8-of-20 shooting.
As a result, this game is essentially useless when trying to use it to predict what can happen on Wednesday. Although it’s interesting to note how well Gilgeous-Alexander played in a pseudo-must-win game.
The full recap of this game can be read here.
