On April 25, Beijing time, the first round of the NBA playoffs in the West G2: Thunder home vs Pelicans. In the first game between the two sides, CJ couldn't score, and the Pelicans lost by 2 points, can they get revenge today? Zion continued to miss because of a hamstring injury, and re-evaluated in two weeks, and he couldn't catch up in the first round of the playoffs, and he admitted that he wanted to play.
Pelicans starters: CJ, Jones, Ingram, Murphy, Wallan. Thunder starters: Alexander, Giddey, Dort, Jewe, Holmgren. G1 Ingram had a cold hand, only 12 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists on 5-of-17 shooting, McCollum scored 20 points on 22 shots, and his performance was average, and I hope they can get back to their touch today.
The Thunder have seven rotation players playing their first playoff game, including Holmgren, who was blown up by Varan in G1 and will be hoping to get tough today. In the last game, Varland had 13 points, 20 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal, including 9 frontcourt rebounds. Speaking of today's game, the Pelicans' first attack was to end Valan, and the basket was 2+1!
The Pelicans scored the first 11 points by Varland alone. However, the Pelicans couldn't win on Valan alone. The Thunder bloomed more on this side and quickly completed the overtake. Although Holmgren couldn't stand up to Wallan, he had outside shooting and made 3 of 3 three-pointers in the first quarter. The Thunder rained down on three-pointers, 7-of-11 from three-point range in the first quarter, and the Pelicans were only 1-of-8!
Varland scored 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting in the first quarter and Holmgren scored 15 points on 5-of-5 shooting. The battle between the traditional center and the modern center is a bit interesting. At the end of the first quarter, the Thunder led by 13 points at 35-22. In the second quarter, the Thunder first played team cooperation and once led by 18 points. The Pelicans sacrificed a joint defense, but they still couldn't prevent Alexander!
Fortunately, the Pelicans' three-point touch warmed up, Murphy and Jones hit consecutive outside shots to help the Pelicans chase points, and CJ and Ingram were limited by the Thunder. Ingram had too few shots, and CJ was chased by Alexander on the defensive end. At the end of the first half, the Thunder still led by 13 points at 63-50. Holmgren had 20 points and Alexander had 16.
The Pelicans hit four three-pointers in the second quarter and 5-of-15 three-pointers in the half, while the Thunder were 10-of-18. McCollum finished with nine points, four rebounds and three assists on 4-of-9 shooting, while Ingram scored just four points on 1-of-2 shooting. Varan was 15+5+2 in the half, and Jones and Murphy combined to score 18 points. If the Pelicans want to win, Ingram and CJ will have to step up in the second half!
At the start of the second half, Ingram increased his off-ball runs and scored eight straight points. He attacked when he received the ball and didn't give the Thunder a chance to wrap up. With eight minutes left in the third quarter, Ingram was overturned by Holmgren and fell to the ground clutching his abdomen, but fortunately it was not a big problem. Alexander used CJ as a live target and helped the Thunder lead to 20+, and the Pelicans were in danger.
The Pelicans simply replaced CJ and Varan and sent five forwards who could switch defenses infinitely and narrow the gap to 15 points again. With 35 seconds left in the third quarter, Holmgren committed his fourth foul. Fortunately, there was Alexander, who scored 12 points in a single quarter and 28 points in the first three quarters. At the end of the third quarter, the Thunder led by 18 points at 92-74, leaving only one quarter left for the Pelicans.
The Pelicans had 15 turnovers in the first three quarters, while the Thunder had just six. At the beginning of the fourth quarter, the Thunder's offense was hot, the point difference was getting wider and wider, and Zion on the sidelines bowed his head and was silent. In the last three and a half minutes, the Thunder led to 34 points, and the main force was down! There was no hope for the Pelicans to turn the tables at all, and it was even more difficult for the black 8 to reach the sky. See you next season, Zion.
At the end of the game, the Thunder beat the Pelicans 124-92, with a total score of 2-0! The Pelicans only lost by 2 points in the last game, and they actually lost by 32 points in this game! Alexander 33 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals, Holmgren 26 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks, Jawi 21 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists, and Dort 15 points. The Thunder have 13 first-round picks over the next seven years, plus 19 second-round picks.
Varland had 19 points, while Ingram and Jones had 18 each. I really can't play against the wind, this season when the Pelicans fall behind and enter the final quarter, the team is 0-23! Finally, take a look at the game data and talk about your feelings: