On April 30, Beijing time, in the NBA playoffs, the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 97-89, with a big score of 4-0 to complete the sweep. At the end of the first half, the Thunder led by 1 point, the Pelicans led by 1 point after the third quarter, and Giddey turned the game around with three consecutive three-pointers at the beginning of the final quarter, and finally the Thunder swept the Pelicans to advance to the semifinals.
[Data of the two teams]
Thunder: Dort 11 points and 8 rebounds, Jay 23 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals, Holmgren 14 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists, Giddey 14 points, 3 rebounds and 1 assist, Alexander 24 points, 9 rebounds and 2 blocks.
Pelicans: Ingram had eight points and six assists on 2-of-14 shooting, Murphy had seven points and 10 rebounds, Varland had 19 points and 13 rebounds, Jones had 11 points, four rebounds and four assists, McCollum had 20 points and five rebounds, and Marshall had 16 points and three rebounds.
【Star of the Tournament - Giddey】
Although Giddey's score is not the highest on the team, and the statistics are not the most comprehensive on the team, he made three consecutive three-pointers at the beginning of the final quarter to help the Thunder go from behind to overtake, and it was crucial to stop the Pelicans twice, scoring 14 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block in 29 minutes, 5-of-10 and 4-of-6 three-pointers.
【Trivia】
Thunder coach Dam Porter was named Coach of the Year for the 2023-24 season, and this season the Thunder have a 57-25 record and end up in first place in the West, a full 17 more wins than last season.
The Thunder are among the top five in the league in offensive efficiency, defensive efficiency, and net efficiency per 100 possessions this season, and the league's best record in steals, blocks, and three-point shooting percentage, and the best team record since the 2013-14 season.
【Contest Review】
Dort hit a three-pointer in the opening game, and the defensive end was a big hat Ingram, his passion drove the Thunder, Holmgren was a fast break, and Alexander also sent a big hat under the basket. Fortunately, the Thunder's outside feel was extremely poor, with 3 of 12 three-pointers in a single quarter, and the Pelicans were also 2 of 11 in the third quarter, and the two teams played 21-21 in the first quarter, and Alexander and Ingram did not feel good.
In the second quarter, Jones hat Isaiah Joe was very exciting, and the basket also prevented Alexander's breakthrough, but Jawway hit 2+1 in the face of Marshall, and Jaewe also hit the mid-range shot in the face of Wallan, Alexander scored 9 points and 5 rebounds in 3 of 10 in the half, and Ingram got 4 points, 3 rebounds and 1 assist in 1 of 7 in the half, and the cores of both teams felt cold, Jay Wei scored 13 points in 6 of 10, and Marshall scored 7 points in 2 of 3. At halftime, the Thunder led the Pelicans by one point at 44-43.
Yibian fought again, Varland made two fouls and hit two free throws, Holmgren hit a three-point shot, Jones broke through, and Varland faced Holmgren and hit the basket again. Varland was fouled for the fourth time and had to go off the break, but McCollum immediately hit a three-point shot, Murphy also took a three-point lead to three points, Alexander suddenly went on a rampage and scored 8 points in a row to help the Thunder overtake again, and Alexander stopped the Pelicans after a steal. Marshall hit a three-point shot, Joe missed a three-pointer, Alvarado countered and made two free throws, and the Pelicans overtook the Thunder 71-70.
At the beginning of the final quarter, the Pelicans made four free throws, Giddey hit a three-point shot, Jay made a layup, Marshall responded with a three-point shot, Giddey hit a three-pointer, and the two teams stopped again, and the Pelicans called a timeout. After the timeout, Holmgren continued to find Giddey, Giddey hit the third three-point shot, McCollum threw to stabilize the game, Alexander singled out, Marshall blocked the foul Pelicans paused, Jayway came to another three-pointer, Ingram made a mistake Jayway made two fouls and made two free throws, Jones also made a mistake in passing, Jayway hit three points again, Varland made two fouls and one free throw, Alexander tossed, Varland hooked his hand, and there were 41.1 seconds left The Pelicans fouled tactics, Yingge missed three points and could only continue to foul The game is coming to an end.
[Both teams start]
Thunder: Giddey, Alexander, Dort, Jewe, Holmgren;
Pelicans: McCollum, Murphy, Jones, Ingram, Valanciunas;
Text/Yan Xiaobai