On April 28, Beijing time, the Thunder challenged the Pelicans away, and the Thunder won all the previous two games. At the beginning of the game, Ingram hit a signature mid-range shot to take the lead, and the two sides were evenly matched and the score rose alternately, and the Thunder suddenly scored 6 points in a row at the end of the game to overtake the score, and the Thunder led 23-19 at the end of the first quarter. In the second quarter of the competition, the Pelicans came up and scored three points in a row to stop the Thunder, and the Varan basket made a strong 2+1 tie score, but then the Pelicans fell into the trouble of offensive power outage, and the Thunder seized the opportunity to play a wave of 19-4 climax, and the Thunder led by 14 points at halftime. Yibian fought again, and the Thunder rained three points from the outside, and hit the Pelicans with 6 three-pointers in a single quarter, and the difference between the two sides was quickly stretched to 20. In the final quarter, the Thunder was a little lax and the offensive efficiency declined, but the Pelicans missed the opportunity and did not score for nearly 4 minutes, and the Pelicans were powerless to return. In the end, the Thunder defeated the Pelicans again 106-85 and won the match point with a total score of 3-0.
The Pelicans without Zion really can't beat the Thunder, and the result doesn't matter to the Pelicans, the important thing is whether they can avoid being swept like the Lakers and play with their momentum. After all, judging from the playoffs G1, the gap between the two sides is not that big, and the Thunder are not one of the most favored teams to win the championship. The problem is that the Pelicans are too lacking in offense, scoring less than 100 points in all three games of the series, Inge and CJ are too reliant on touch, and the shooting percentage has dropped sharply after the playoff intensity has come up, so the Pelicans have no chance to win at all.
The good news is that today the Pelicans officially announced that the team has signed Matt Ryan to a three-year contract worth $6.1 million. It is reported that the contract includes a guaranteed amount of $1.5 million for this season, with no guarantee for the 2024-25 season and a team option for the 2025-26 season.
Ryan is known as the NBA's number one inspirational brother, and after losing the election, in order to earn money to support his family, he once got up at 7 a.m. to go to work at the cemetery, and also delivered food, and now he finally got a formal contract. The Pelicans' signing also revealed a sign that Ryan could be used in a do-or-die match (not yet in the playoffs). Ryan was also a Lakers veteran who made a name for himself with the Lakers last season, hitting a game-tying three-pointer in overtime against the Pelicans and ultimately helping the Lakers win, and Ryan's performance impressed Pelican management, who brought him back to New Orleans in the offseason.
Although he didn't get too many opportunities this season, in the previous game against the Pistons, because of the team's lack of major generals, Ryan ushered in the first start of his career, and he lived up to the high expectations of the coach, scoring 20 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists on 7-of-10 shooting.
"The Grave Keeper" has scoring explosiveness, a big heart, and most importantly he wants to get ahead more than anyone else, and the Pelicans need a player who charges forward with a dynamite bag right now.