Thunder vs Pelicans
The NBA playoffs continued, and the Thunder traveled to the road to face the Pelicans in the first round of G4. OKC, who led 3-0 in the big score, aims to eliminate their opponents in this game. The New Orleans Warriors, on the other hand, are committed to refusing to sweep and extending the series. In that game, Zion Williamson continued to miss the game due to injury.
Alexander 24+10, Thunder swept the Pelicans!Jalen Williams made a meritorious service, Ingram made 2 of 14!
Full game review
At the beginning of the first quarter, Ingram hit 1 of 2 free throws, Dort scored from the outside, Valanciunas hooked up to score, CJ and Keady shot long-range shots, and Murphy scored on a jumper. Jalen Williams cut in the air, Holmgren hit 2 free throws, Ingram was blocked, Alexander played 2+1, and Ingram scored from mid-range and colored.
Valanciunas singled Holmgren
Jalen Williams hit a board, Valanciunas hooked up, Jones hit 2 free throws, and Jaylin Williams answered with a three-pointer. Marshall scored from the outside, Alexander made 1 of 2 free throws, and Nance Jr. and Alexander each hit singles. Marshall made a layup, and the first quarter ended with the two teams tied at 21.
In the second quarter, Valanciunas hit 2 free throws, Holmgren made a layup, Jones and Jalen Williams each hit a single, CJ scored a pull-up jump shot, Jalen Williams hit the basket and scored, Wiggins scored 5 points in a row. Alexandre blocked Valanciunas, who scored from a layup and Nance Jr. scored in the box.
Jalen Williams gets packed
Alexander scored three points on a free throw, Marshall made a layup, Nance Jr. scored in the low post, and Jalen Williams scored five points on a free throw. CJ and Murphy worked hard in the mid-to-long range, Ingram made 1 of 2 free throws, and the Pelicans went on a 6-0 offensive run. Holmgren scored in the low post, Dort dunked, and Murphy made a jumper. At halftime, the Thunder led 44-43.
In the first half, the two sides fell into a defensive battle, and the efficiency of long-range shooting was not ideal. Jalen Williams had 13 points, Alexander had nine points and five rebounds, Dort had five points and five rebounds, Holmgren had six points and Wiggins had five points. Ingram had four points, Murphy had seven points and six rebounds, Varland had eight points and seven rebounds, Jones had four points and three assists, McCollum had seven points and Nance had six points.
Jalen Williams defends C.J. McCollum
In the rematch, Valanciunas hit 2 free throws, Holmgren responded with a three-pointer, Jones, Valanciunas and Dort faced each other in the low post, CJ scored on a jumper, Holmgren made 1 of 2 free throws, Jones and Alexander each scored layups. Keady scored in the low post, Murphy sent a big hat, CJ hit a long shot, Holmgren scored in the air, and CJ McCollum scored under the basket.
Jalen Williams blocked Ingram, Dort and Jones shot long shots, Dort made 1 of 2 free throws, and McCollum scored points on a buzzer-beating jumper. Alexander scored four points on consecutive free throws, Marshall answered a three-pointer, Alexander hit two free throws, Isaiah Joe dunked, Alexander scored on a layup, and the Pelicans called a timeout. Marshall hit a three-pointer and Ingram hit two free throws. At the end of the third quarter, the Thunder trailed 70-71.
Alexander blocks Ingram
In the final quarter, Valanciunas and Alvarado used their impact to score points one after another, Keady and Marshall shot three-pointers, and Jalen Williams scored a layup. Valanciunas and Holmgren battled in the low post, Keady hit an outside shot, and the Pelicans called a timeout. Keady scored another three-pointer, CJ and Alexander each scored layups, the Pelicans hit back-to-back outside shots, and Jalen Williams hit a long-range shot.
Jalen Williams made 2 free throws after a steal, Keady made a steal, Ingram blocked Holmgren, Jalen Williams hit another three-pointer, and the Thunder went on an 18-2 offensive frenzy to overtake by 11 points. Ingram hit a jumper, Valanciunas made 1 of 2 free throws and Alexander hit a jumper. Valanciunas scored on a throw-in, Alexander made 1 of 2 free throws and McCollum scored on a jumper. Alexander missed 2 free throws, Ingram hit an iron from the outside, Jalen Williams made 1 free throw, and CJ missed a three-pointer. At the end of the game, the Thunder defeated the Pelicans 97-89 and eliminated New Orleans with a score of 4-0.
The Thunder swept the Pelicans
OKC managed to advance to the semifinals, where their next round opponent was the winner of the Mavericks vs. Clippers series. The Thunder became the second team to sweep through the tournament this season, while the Pelicans became the second team to go out of the game after the Suns.
Murphy had 7 points and 11 rebounds, Valanciunas had a double-double of 19 points and 13 rebounds (6 frontcourt rebounds), Jones had 11 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists, McCollum had a good performance with 20 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists, Marshall had 16 points, 3 rebounds + 4 3-pointers, and Nance had 6 points and 6 boards.
The Thunder advanced to the Western Conference semifinals
Keady 14 points, 3 rebounds + 4 3-pointers in the final quarter continued to exert strength on the offensive end, Holmgren 14 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists showed all-round skills, Dort 11 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals on both offensive and defensive ends, Wiggins 5 points, 2 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals, and Jaylin Williams 3 points and 2 blocks.
Alexander 24+10
Alexander, the star of the Thunder, broke out strongly in this campaign. Alexander played 41 minutes, shooting 8-of-21, 1-of-4 from three-point range, and 7-of-13 from the free-throw line, with a double-double of 24 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks, with a plus/minus of +7. After suffering a broken foot in the first quarter, Alexander continued to play with an injury. Alexander scored a game-high score, dished out the most blocks of the game, and was the team's rebounding leader. Alexander scored 15 points in the second half and scored 10 points in the third quarter.
Alexander makes a strong attack on the basket
Alexander, who went on a rampage on both offensive and defensive ends, laid the foundation for the Thunder to win. Statistics show that this is the first time the Thunder have broken through the first round of the playoffs since Durant's departure. Under Alexander's leadership, OKC has achieved a revival.
Jalen Williams meritorious service
Thunder forward giant Jalen Williams continued his excellent performance. Jalen Williams played 38 minutes, 9-of-17, 2-of-6 three-pointers, 4-of-5 free throws, and scored 24 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 1 block, with a plus/minus of +14 leading the game. Jalen Williams scored a game-high 53 percent from the field, and he is also the team's steal leader and has a prominent contribution to rebounding protection.
Jalen Williams defends C.J. McCollum
Jalen Williams did a good job of limiting Ingram's play, and he scored 11 points in the final quarter. At the decisive moment, Jalen Williams scored points one after another with mid-to-long shots, leading the team to play an 18-2 offensive frenzy to expand the difference to 11 points, and ended the game. On both offensive and defensive ends, Jalen Williams made a big contribution to the Thunder's advance to the semifinals.
Ingram 2 of 14
Pelicans star Brandon Ingram had a sluggish performance in this game. Ingram played 39 minutes, 2-of-14, 0-of-3 three-pointers, 4-of-6 free throws, 8 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks. As a Lakers veteran, Ingram shot only 14% from the field and didn't score any three-pointers. In Zion Williamson's absence, Ingram didn't step up.
Ingram is caught in the bag
In addition, Ingram was also blown up by the opposing Jalen Williams. Ingram's slump was the main reason why the Pelicans lost to their opponents.