Steve Starr
- Go to BetOnline or Bovada for the latest odds on the Pelicans vs Thunder Western Conference Play-In matchup
- The NBA’s play-in tournament features the 7th through 10th place clubs battling for the final two playoff seeds in each conference
- Wednesday’s contest tips off from Smoothie King Center in New Orleans at 9:30pm ET on ESPN
While competing in the NBA Play-In tournament is usually a sign of an unsuccessful year, the Thunder have already far exceeded expectations this season. As the youngest team in the league, Oklahoma City (40-42) was expected to be a bottom-dweller. Instead, they’re just two victories away from the postseason.
Can they author a road upset of New Orleans (42-40) on Wednesday night and advance to play the T-Wolves on Thursday? Before we break down the matchup and make our picks, check out the latest 2023 NBA Playoff Betting Odds and our guide to betting on the 2023 NBA Finals.
Pelicans vs Thunder
 | Spread | Money Line | Total Points |
| Oklahoma City Thunder | +5.5 (-110) | +185 | Ov 228 (-110) |
| New Orleans Pelicans | -5.5 (-110) | -215 | Un 228 (-110) |
Can SGA lead OKC to victory?
New Orleans claimed the season series 3-1, but Oklahoma City captured their most recent matchup in March. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 35 points in the 110-96 win. The Canadian point guard finished the season as the NBA’s fourth-leading scorer, averaging 31.4 points per game. He also registered a career-high 44 points in an overtime-loss to the Pelicans back in December.
Brandon Ingram only played in one of the four matchups between the two clubs but he made it count, putting up 34 points in a win. With Zion Williamson still missing in action with a hamstring injury, Willie Green’s team will continue to rely on Ingram. The lanky forward is coming off a 42-point, 12-rebound, seven-assist performance in Sunday’s loss to Minnesota.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will finish with the MOST 30-Point games in the NBA this season with 45 pic.twitter.com/WXLk8PJoRT
— TF (@ThunderFocus) April 8, 2023
Who’s the better team?
New Orleans was in second place in the West with a 23-13 record when Williamson got hurt. Since that time, they’ve gone 19-27 while the Thunder went 25-21 over that same stretch. However, the Pelicans (7-3) have a better record than OKC (4-6) over the past ten games.
Center Jonas Valanciunas gives the Pels a definitive edge in the paint and veteran shooter CJ McCollum has gotten hot in big games before. But, Mark Daigneault’s squad could pull the upset if they play loose. Stocked with ascending talent such as Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey, Luguentz Dort and Jalen Williams, OKC has one of the most talented young nucleuses in all of basketball.
New Orleans vs Oklahoma City
New Orleans is a 5.5-point favorite at home on Wednesday night. New Orleans is a respectable 27-14 in the Big Easy, covering 57.5 of their games in the Smoothie King Center. Meanwhile, Oklahoma City was just 16-25 as visitors, despite covering in 55.3% (21-17-3) of their road games. The Thunder were 19-11-3 (63.3%) against the spread as road underdogs, the fourth-best mark in the NBA, while the Pelicans were 16-13-1 (55.5%) as home chalk.
The game-total has been set at 228 points. New Orleans home games hit the OVER 56.1% of the time (top ten in the league). And OKC road games also skew slightly under (51.2%).
Brandon Ingram in his last 10 Games 📈
28.8 PTS, 8.7 AST, 6.3 REB, shooting 51.5%
Pelicans are 8-2… playoff spot soon? pic.twitter.com/S2KqUf04rE
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 7, 2023
Best Bet
While the Pelicans are in a constant state of purgatory, waiting for Zion to get healthy, OKC is playing with house money. We expect this young Thunder team to play with no fear and advance to the next round of the NBA Play-In tournament.
See below the top NBA sportsbooks where you can wager online and choose the best one for you:
