New Orleans rallied all the way back from a 20-point second-half deficit Tuesday, but after the Pelicans seized a late-game lead, Oklahoma City answered in crunch time. Lu Dort sank a critical three-pointer to put the Thunder up by three points, followed by Jalen Williams’ driving layup to make it a two-possession game in the final minute. OKC was up 73-58 at halftime and stretched its advantage further in the third quarter, before the hosts surged back into the hunt. “They executed better than us in the last two and a half minutes of the game,” New Orleans head coach Willie Green said of the Thunder's decisive moments.
Pelicans Stat Leader Highlights: Zion Williamson with 29 points vs. Oklahoma City Thunder 3/26/24
THREE POINTS
OKC offense wins first 24 minutes.
The two teams entered Tuesday’s game tied for fifth in the NBA in defensive efficiency, but New Orleans could not keep the Thunder in check during the opening half, resulting in 73 points for the guests on 62 percent shooting and 10/20 three-point accuracy. The Pelicans were much better at that of the end floor after intermission, but ultimately paid for their a-step-behind start. Oklahoma City only mustered 46 points in the latter half, but that was still enough to prevail.
Comeback comes up short.
When OKC grabbed an 88-68 edge deep into the third quarter, things were looking bleak for New Orleans, but the Pelicans went on a 20-2 run and kept making a push before eventually going up by five. That caused a fervent reaction among the sellout crowd of 17,000-plus in one of the loudest fourth quarters of the season, but the Thunder never got too far behind on the scoreboard. “I felt like the first half, we just let them get to their spots,” Green said of the turnaround. “We let them run their offense. They didn’t necessarily feel our physicality. In the second half, we picked it up. We’re all extremely proud of the group and the way that we fought back. Unfortunately we didn’t do enough to win it. This is a great learning experience for us. We’re going to play more teams like this coming up.”
Zion scoring and dishing.
With Brandon Ingram (knee) expected to be sidelined for a minimum of two weeks, Zion Williamson took on an even greater offensive load Tuesday, finishing with 29 points and 10 assists. His first-half impact was monumental, dropping in seven buckets and handing out eight dimes, meaning he had a direct role in 15 of his team’s 21 first-half hoops. CJ McCollum was next in the New Orleans scoring rundown with 23 points, shaking off a 1/10 first half shooting-wise by tallying 20 points in the second half.
BY THE NUMBERS
45-37: Oklahoma City rebounding advantage. The Thunder rank near the bottom of the NBA in boards, but won the category against the Pelicans, including coming up with a critical offensive rebound in clutch time.
3, 5, 1: Rank in the NBA in winning percentage for Oklahoma City, Milwaukee and Boston, respectively, the first three visitors to the Blender during NOLA’s six-game homestand.
33: Larry Nance Jr. season high in minutes Tuesday. Green said he went to Nance and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl exclusively at center in the second half to combat the athleticism and versatility of OKC’s lineups.
