Pelicans vs. Thunder
In the race for the last playoff ticket in the West, the New Orleans Pelicans' star Zion unfortunately suffered a left hamstring strain and will miss at least the first round of the series. And in this situation, the Pelicans' playoff journey has become much more difficult. It's no secret that Ingram and McCollum aren't in inconsistent form and don't have what it takes to be team leaders. In the previous G1 battle, although the Pelicans tried to make a final reversal, they still allowed the Thunder to achieve the final victory.
is very realistic, the super rising Thunder team this season is no longer the image of the fish belly that was bullied in the past. Their star Alexander, already has the potential to become a superstar in the league, and Holmgren, the team's top star, has also continued to precipitate in the game and played his due value. This time they continued to accept the challenge of the Pelicans at home, and the Thunder did not give the Pelicans a chance, with a score of 124-92, the series was 2-0 and gained the absolute initiative.
Specific competition
As soon as the game began, Holmgren ushered in a big explosion. In the first quarter of the game, he shot 5-of-5 from the field and 2-of-2 from the free throw line, and delivered 15 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist, and the star Alexander, who also contributed 7 points and 1 assist, successfully helped the team play a 35-22 score and get a 13-point lead. Entering the second quarter of the matchup, although McCollum had 9 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists and 2 steals, and Murphy III also sent 8 points, he still let the Thunder, which blossomed more points, play a score of 28-28 and missed the chance to chase points.
Entering the second half of the competition, the Thunder team, which maintained the initiative to lead the score, was in a very hot state and continued to widen the difference. In the third quarter of the game, Alexander shot 4 of 5 and 3 of 3 free throws, contributing a crucial 12 points, Williams also had 6 points and 2 rebounds, and Holmgren, who handed over 4 points and 2 rebounds, led the team to a 29-24 score, extending the difference to 18 points. In the final quarter of the decisive game, the Thunder refused to drag their feet and went on a 32-18 run and won by 32 points with a total score of 124-92.
epilogue
Without Zion's help, the Pelicans' overall performance is really hard to describe. Although they had five players score in double figures, they were not very efficient. Ingram played 33 minutes, shot 5-of-10, and only delivered 18 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists. And McCollum only has 15 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Although Valanzionas had 19 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists, Jones also handed over 18 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist, but he could only be powerless.
On the side of the Thunder, who won by 32 points at home and tied the series score at 2-0, the five players who started the game all had extremely high scoring efficiency. During this period, Alexander played 35 minutes and delivered 33 points, 3 rebounds and 5 assists, Williams also had 21 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists, and Holmgren handed over 26 points, 7 rebounds and 1 assist. In addition, Giddey also has 13 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists, as well as Dort, who made 4 of 6 three-pointers and 4 of 8 shots, and handed over 15 points, 1 rebound and 2 assists. Judging from this situation, it is almost impossible for the Pelicans to achieve a Black Eight counterattack in the West.