The Zion Williamson era is officially underway, and as a result the Pelicans are putting up lots of points. With the Thunder visiting New Orleans, where the total has gone OVER in seven of their last 10 meetings, another high-scoring game seems to be on tap.
- Date/Time: February 13, 8 p.m. ET
- Arena: Smoothie King Center
- TV Coverage: TSN 3, Fox Sports Oklahoma City, Fox Sports New Orleans
- Sportsbook Odds: Pelicans -2 | O/U 231.5
- Thunder vs Pelicans Matchup Report
Sportsbook Odds Analysis
The Pelicans have picked up their play since Zion Williamson has returned, going 6-2 in their last eight games. But with Brandon Ingram questionable to play, and Oklahoma City one of the better road teams in the NBA, New Orleans opened as just a 2-point home favorite.
Oklahoma City News & Notes
After a 10-game stretch in which they went 9-1 SU and 7-3 ATS, the Thunder have dropped back-to-back games going into Thursday’s tilt with New Orleans.
In order to enter the all-star break on a high note, the Thunder will need to continue their current “road warrior” mantra. They have covered the spread in each of their last 12 road games and are 20-5 ATS on the road this season. Against a Pelicans squad that is below .500 at home this year, expect the Thunder to have a good shot at ATS road win No. 21.
The Thunder also boast a dangerous scoring trio of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Dennis Schroder and Danilo Gallinari, who all average more than 19 points per game. They could be in store for another big night Thursday, as the Pelicans currently have the NBA’s third-worst defense … and the total has gone OVER in seven of their last 10 matchups in New Orleans.
New Orleans News & Notes
Boy, was first overall pick Zion Williamson worth the wait for New Orleans. After missing the first 43 games of the season due to injury, Williamson completed his ninth career game on Tuesday and so far the numbers are impressive: he’s contributing 21 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game — in just 27 minutes on average.
The Pelicans were starting to pick up their play even before Zion returned, having gone 13-5-1 against the spread over their last 19 games. It’s no surprise the total has gone OVER 15 times over that stretch as well, as New Orleans has the fourth-highest scoring offense in the league … and one of the worst defenses.
Not much has changed since Williamson returned, as the total has also gone OVER in three straight Pelicans games and in five of their last seven. They may again be without leading scorer Brandon Ingram, who missed Tuesday’s game with an ankle injury, but they put up 138 points in that game — they’re still plenty capable on offense.
Betting Pick: OVER 231.5
Zion is getting more comfortable each game and the total tends to go OVER when the Thunder visit New Orleans. Even if Ingram sits again, I expect this to be another high-scoring affair.
- Oklahoma City is 9-3 ATS in its last 12 vs the Western Conference.
- New Orleans is 9-3 ATS in its last 12 at home.
- New Orleans is 7-1 SU in its last 8 Thursday games.
