The Oklahoma City Thunder are attempting to keep their five game winning streak alive and extend it to six with their second win over the New Orleans Pelicans on the season, this time in the Smoothie King Center. The Oklahoma City Thunder are still going to be short handed this go around, with All-NBA forward Jalen Williams, veteran big man Kenrich Williams and rookie guard Nikola Topic awaiting their season debuts. Top bench scorer Aaron Wiggins remains out with an adductor strain. Defense-Ace Alex Caruso is on the injury report tabbed as questionable with right hand soreness.
New Orleans is on the second night of a back-to-back as the Pelicans were just trounced by the Golden State Warriors on Sunday night on their home floor. In that game, the Pelicans missed star big man Zion Williamson, guard Jordan Poole and of course Dejounte Murray.
The last time these two teams met, it was a beat down in the Paycom Center with the tempature turning up on Willie Green’s seat before he was eventually fired. James Borrego takes over as the interim bench boss for the Bourbon Street Ballers.
Oklahoma City should face no trouble in New Orleans as the Thunder own the rest advantage on top of the massive talent advantage. Here is what to watch for in this contest.
Nov 13, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) gestures from behind New Orleans Pelicans center Yves Missi (21) after a play against the New Orleans Pelicans during the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
What to Watch For
The Oklahoma City Thunder own the best defense in the entire NBA and those numbers should only trend upward following this contest against the lowly Pelicans. New Orleans will not submit an injury report until later this afternoon as is protocol on the second leg of a back-to-back but if it looks anything like Sunday, buckets will be hard to comeby in this game.
However, the Pelicans have leaned into playing their rookies more. While Jeramiah Fears was a nice scoring punch for New Orleans a few Sundays ago in Bricktown, New Orleans waited to deploy Derik Queen until the final five minutes of a blowout. Yesterday, under new leadership, the Pelicans started Queen and expect to have him as a focal point tonight. How he handles being matched up with this Thunder front court will be one of the most fun storylines.
Ajay Mitchell should be able to continue his offensive output in this game against New Orleans as the second year man has came on strong for the short handed OKC Thunder. With as much attention as the Pelicans need to give superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, look for him to gain easy shots.
Game Information
- Date: Nov. 17
- Matchup: OKC Thunder (13-1) vs. New Orleans Pelicans (2-11)
- Time: 6:00 PM CT
- Location: Smoothie King Center –– New Orleans, LA
- TV: FanDuel Sports Oklahoma
- Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1 FM)
Up next, the Oklahoma City Thunder head home to take on the Sacramento Kings for the third and final time this season. This will be a standalone home game before jetting over to Utah to take on the Jazz in their NBA Cup battle on Friday. The OKC Thunder hope to continue to dominate the rest of the league. Stay tuned to Thunder on SI for complete coverage all season long.
