As is the case for New Orleans, Oklahoma City’s powerful three-point attack is often generated by a player who doesn’t actually shoot a lot of threes himself, but draws considerable defensive attention, creating open jumpers for teammates. Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander enters Friday’s game at New Orleans (7 p.m., Bally Sports, 99.5 FM) as the NBA’s leader in drives per game (23.0), something the Pelicans need to contain in what should be a fun Western Conference matchup between top-six clubs.
“First and foremost, we have to take care of SGA,” New Orleans rookie guard Jordan Hawkins said after Friday shootaround, when asked about defending OKC’s three-point attack (No. 2 at 39.2 percent). “It starts with him. Once we play well on him, we don’t have to help off the shooters. We definitely have to show (defensive) bodies to stop him. It starts with guarding SGA. That’s where all of the dominoes will fall.”
Jordan Hawkins on Herb Jones, slowing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | Pelicans Shootaround 1/26/24
OKC’s perimeter arsenal features four high-volume shooters hitting over 40 percent of their attempts this season, including Jalen Williams (44.4), Isaiah Joe (42.9), Lu Dort (40.8) and rookie Cason Wallace (42.2 on a more modest 2.6 tries).
Other notes from shootaround:
New Orleans has zoomed all the way up to fourth in three-point percentage (38.6), doing so by connecting at a 43.1 percent rate in January.
“I think we’ve improved on it every stage of the season,” Hawkins said. “We’ve gotten better at it. The guys going downhill, they’re elite at (that). We have to have elite shot-makers around them.” …
Hawkins has joined the team’s hot shooting, leading all rookies in three-pointers made per game (2.2). “(Defenders) are definitely keyed in on me now; they’ve got the scouting report on me now,” he said. “But it opens everything up, gets Trey (Murphy) shots, gets (Brandon Ingram) shots, gets (Zion Williamson) shots. If they want to play five people in the paint, like they usually do on Zion, we have shooters that can knock it down.” …
Herb Jones is up to a 49/40/86 shooting split this season, incredibly putting him on the verge of being a 50/40/90 player, even though he’s known much more for his All-NBA-level defense. Hawkins on Jones: “He’s been terrific. He’s been working on his jump shot since I got here. Been in the gym every day with (assistant coach) Fred (Vinson) in the morning. It just shows how much work he’s put in. He’s just a tremendous player. Herb is (also) one of the best defensive players I’ve been around. It’s incredible to watch.”
Oklahoma City Scouting Report
Offensive efficiency rank: 4 (119.9)
Defensive efficiency rank: 4 (111.6)
Net rating rank: 2 (+8.3)
Streak: Won 4
Go-to guy: Given the elite level of competition in the West among backcourt players, it’s quite an accomplishment for Gilgeous-Alexander to not only make his second straight All-Star appearance this winter, but he’ll also be a starter on Feb. 18. The Canada native and Kentucky product is fourth in the NBA in scoring (31.1 ppg), leading the Thunder’s ascension to near the top of the standings. He posted 20 points, five rebounds, eight assists and three steals in a Nov. 1 home loss to New Orleans.
On the rise: From the versatile Williams to top rookie Chet Holmgren to breakthrough reserve gunner Joe, OKC has many options in this category. A second-year wing, Williams is already the Thunder’s second-leading point producer (18.7) and contributes in various categories (4.1 rpg, 4.5 apg, 1.1 spg). Like Gilgeous-Alexander, he authored a below-average shooting night against the Pelicans on Nov. 1, going 5/13 from the field among his 18 points, but notched eight rebounds and three assists.
Previous Game Starting Lineups
OKLAHOMA CITY (31-13, 2ND IN WEST)
Wednesday win at San Antonio
Josh Giddey, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Lu Dort, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren
Notes: The Thunder have benefited from excellent lineup continuity this season, only using five different starting combinations. This group is 27-10. No other quintet has started more than three times. … A win Friday would move Oklahoma City back into the No. 1 spot in the West. Minnesota (32-13) holds a half-game lead, but the Thunder own the temporary tiebreaker based on a 2-1 head-to-head record.
NEW ORLEANS (26-18, 6TH IN WEST)
Tuesday win vs. Utah
CJ McCollum, Herb Jones, Brandon Ingram, Zion Williamson, Jonas Valanciunas
Notes: The Pelicans have used 11 different starting combinations. This group is 15-9. A separate lineup is 5-2, with Dyson Daniels at a guard spot instead of McCollum. … New Orleans is tied with Phoenix for the West’s fifth-best record, but the Suns own the temporary tiebreaker based on a 1-0 head-to-head record. Phoenix plays at Indiana on Friday. There are two more Pelicans-Suns matchups on the schedule, both in April.
FanDuel Keys to the Game
KEEP CLICKING ON OFFENSE
It’s probably not reasonable to expect 40-plus dimes from the Pelicans every night, but they’re coming off their best-ever passing (and scoring) performance Tuesday against Utah. New Orleans rang up 153 points and dished 41 assists, breaking a pair of prominent franchise records.
REBOUND AND RUN
New Orleans outboarded Utah by a 57-38 margin Tuesday, a vital element to a 35-16 edge in fast-break points. In the Nov. 1 meeting with the Thunder in the Sooner State, OKC kept NOLA’s transition attack in check (just 12 points). However, the Thunder only mustered nine themselves, giving the Pelicans a slight edge.
MATCHUP TO WATCH
At center, Valanciunas and Larry Nance Jr. meet Holmgren. In the Nov. 1 contests, the starters played to a virtual draw statistically (Valanciunas and Holmgren both scored exactly 19 points), but the Pelicans’ defense caused five Holmgren turnovers. Nance delivered nine points, seven rebounds, two assists and two steals in 23 minutes.