The New Orleans Pelicans (22-34) play the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder (41-16) at the Smoothie King Center. The game gets underway at 8:00 pm ET on Thursday, Feb. 25 and will air on TNT and FxK.
The Pelicans got blown out by the Wizards 109-89 on Tuesday. Ryan Anderson was the best player for the Pelicans, contributing 16 points, four rebounds, and two steals. The Thunder, meanwhile, are coming off a 116-103 win over the Mavericks on Wednesday. Russell Westbrook had a good game and claimed his 39th double-double of the season, accumulating 24 points and 13 assists.
Over the last five games, Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday have played at a high level for the Pelicans. During that stretch, Davis has averaged 28.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.2 steals, 1.0 block, and 0.6 three-pointers. Not to be outdone, Holiday has put up 21.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 8.6 assists, and 2.2 steals.
New Orleans should be expected to protect the ball well in this contest. They rank third in the NBA at avoiding errors (turnover percentage of 12.8%). Meanwhile, the Thunder force the fifth-fewest turnovers in the league (13.0%).
The Thunder have won both contests against the Pelicans this season, including a 121-95 blowout in their last matchup. Westbrook played a huge role in the victory by recording a double-double with 23 points and 10 assists.
Notes
In contests where it has given up fewer than 100 points, New Orleans has a 9-8 record. When Oklahoma City scores fewer than 100, it is a losing 3-8.
When allowing 100 or more points in a game, the Pelicans are just 13-26 this season. Oklahoma City is a superb 38-8 when it hits the century mark.
The Pelicans have an offensive rating of 103.7 (ranked 14th). The Thunder rank 12th for their defensive rating of 102.6.
With 98.8 possessions and 1.037 points per possession, the New Orleans Pelicans perform worse on both metrics than the Oklahoma City Thunder. Oklahoma City averages 99.4 possessions and 1.103 points per possession.
The Oklahoma City Thunder have one of the best effective field goal percentages this season, ranking third in the league with an EFF% of 52.1%. When their opponents record a similar or higher EFF%, the New Orleans Pelicans have a losing 10-17 record.
On average, the Oklahoma City Thunder make 22.5 assists per game and the New Orleans Pelicans make 21.7. Oklahoma City is ranked 10th, while New Orleans is ranked 16th.
The New Orleans Pelicans average 4.7 blocks per game for a rank of 17th. The Oklahoma City Thunder rank higher (third), earning 6.3 blocks each contest.
The New Orleans Pelicans rank 22nd in offensive rebounding, while the Oklahoma City Thunder rank fourth in defensive rebounding.
On average, New Orleans makes 7.8 steals per game. Oklahoma City has a solid 30-13 record when it allows at least 7 steals.
