The New Orleans Pelicans (49-33) travel to face off against the Oklahoma City Thunder (57-25) on Sunday, April 21st. This game will be played at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City and televised on TNT. The Thunder are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Pelicans are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Mavericks. Tip-off is set for 9:30 ET.

Pelicans vs Thunder

The Pelicans Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

The Pelicans will look to bounce back from a defeat in their last game, losing to the Lakers with a final score of 124-108. The Pelicans picked up the win despite trailing going into halftime 70-53.

Coming into today’s game, the Pelicans have an overall record of 49-33 and will be +8.5 point underdogs. Against other Western Conference teams, the Pelicans are 30-22 and have gone 19-11 in non-conference games.

Currently, New Orleans holds an above .500 ATS record of 43-38 so far this year. New Orleans has covered the spread in two consecutive road games, while maintaining an ATS record of 23-18 on the road as opposed to 20-20 at home.

The Thunder Are Coming Off A Win

Most recently, the Thunder bested the Mavericks with a score of 135-86. Thunder’s victory in this game wasn’t just a straight-up win; they also covered the spread as -19.5-point favorites. Considering the over/under, the total of 221 points fell short of the set over/under line of 225.

With their above .500 record of 57-25, the Thunder are focused on adding to their success against the Pelicans. When breaking down their record, the Thunder have gone 36-16 vs. Western Conference teams and 21-9 in non-conference action.

The Thunder have covered the spread successfully in their previous four games and maintain an overall ATS record of 47-35. In their last five road games, Oklahoma City has been unable to cover the spread, and they hold an ATS record of 20-21 on the road as opposed to 27-14 at home.

Pelicans Offense Breakdown

The New Orleans offense will take the floor in today’s game with the league’s 12th ranked offense at 115.1 points per game.

Looking at the Pelicans’ offense, they are a top-10 team in field goal percentage this season, hitting 48% of their shots. Their three-point shooting percentage of 38% is also 7th best in the league. Despite their efficiency from beyond the arc, the Pelicans are just 24th in three-point attempts. Overall, they are averaging 115.1 points per game, which is 12th in the league.

CJ McCollum has been carrying the Pelicans’ offense of late, averaging 28.8 points per game in his last five games. This has come while shooting 52.5% from the field and 58.9% from beyond the arc. Over this stretch, he averaged 6.6 made threes per game. Trey Murphy III has also been shooting the ball well of late, averaging 21.2 points per game on 50% shooting.

Thunder Offense Breakdown

The Thunder arrive for today’s game as one of the NBA’s top offensive teams, scoring an average of 120.1 points per game (3rd).

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been playing well of late, averaging 26 points per game in his last four games. This is on a field goal percentage of 46.5%. Over this stretch, he also averaged 4.5 assists and 5.2 rebounds. For the season, he is averaging 30.1 points, 6.2 assists, and 5.5 rebounds. Chet Holmgren and Aaron Wiggins have also been playing well, with Holmgren averaging 15.8 points per game in his last five games, and Wiggins averaging 14.6 points per game in his last five.

Overall, the Thunder are averaging 120.1 points per game and 123.1 points per game at home. This is the 3rd best mark in the league. Looking at their field goal percentage, they are 2nd in the NBA, as they have hit 49% of their shots this season. Oklahoma City is also 7th in pace.

Pelicans Team Defense

At this time, the Pelicans’ defense is positioned 2nd in the NBA, permitting 107.3 points per game. Opponents are hitting 54.9% of their two-point field goal attempts this season, and they’re also connecting on 32.8% of their three-point attempts.

Thunder Team Defense

The Thunder’s defense is presently ranked 11th in the league, allowing an average of 112.7 points per contest. Opponents are hitting 52.1% of their two-point field goal attempts this season, and they’re also connecting on 36.4% of their three-point attempts.

Key Players For The Pelicans And Thunder

The outlook for today’s matchup points to Brandon Ingram as the primary point contributor for the Pelicans, finishing with 20 points while maintaining a 8/16 shooting accuracy. For the season, he has been averaging 20.8 points per game, in addition to 5.1 rebounds.

On the other side, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is our projected leading scorer for the Thunder. We have him ending the game with a team-high 30 and grabbing 5 rebounds. This season, he is shooting at a field goal percentage of 53.5%, and his scoring average is 30.1 points per game.

Pelicans vs Thunder Trends

• In their last three road games, New Orleans has averaged 119 points per game while allowing 110. The team’s record in this stretch was 3-0 while going 2-1 vs. the spread.
• In their last three games at home, the Thunder have a straight up record of 1-2 while going 0-3 vs the spread. The team’s offense averaged 111 points per game in these contests.
• The last ten games that New Orleans was the underdog, they have an ATS mark of 7-3 while going 7-3 straight up.
• In their last five games as the betting favorite, the Thunder have a strong straight up record of 5-0. In addition, their ATS record was 4-1 in these scenarios.

Pelicans vs Thunder Prediction

For a point-spread wager in this Thunder vs. Pelicans game, we suggest taking the Pelicans at +8.5. Even though our predictions have the Thunder winning 116-114, we see the Pelicans as the better choice on the point-spread.

Right now, the over/under line for the game is sitting at 214.5 and given that our model is projecting 230 points between the teams, we like the over.

All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.