When Oklahoma City returned to the postseason, the crowd became lively, earning it the nickname “The Loud City.” Even before this game started, the noisy fans were making a deafening noise during warm-ups. During the Pelicans' introductions, a sea of noise interrupted a public address announcer spouting the names of Bourbon Streetballers.
Fans did their part throughout the 48-minute game, but the Oklahoma City Thunder (57-25) took some time to settle in as they began their postseason journey Sunday inside Paycom Center for the first time since 2019. was necessary.
The Thunder, the youngest No. 1 seed in NBA history, enjoyed a week off from the NBA Play-In Tournament before drawing an opponent. The Thunder, who didn't know their opponent until Friday night, had only one day to really put together a game plan against the New Orleans Pelicans (49-33).
After half the game, the score remained deadlocked at 43-all.The Thunder strengthened their defense to thwart the Pelicans' offense, but were unable to consistently produce points on their own.
Oklahoma City looked to emotional leader Jaylen Williams for a spark. He performed as usual throughout the season. From forcing a game-tying goal with Jonas Valanciunas to literally roaring at the crowd as he scored a much-needed doof, Williams has roused this young Thunder team.
OKC went on a 17-7 run to extend its lead, eventually taking a double-digit lead. However, the Pelicans were undeterred and fought back with a 7-0 run.
Both teams entered clutch time as the Thunder continued to get out of the rim in what was undoubtedly a typical game. It was a five-point game or less, with Oklahoma City holding a slim 88-85 lead with less than five minutes remaining.
But the Pelicans went on a 16-5 run to tie the game at 90 with 60 ticks left. It's time for a superstar to take over, and that's exactly what Shai Gilgeous-Alexander did.
After a shaky start until the final frame, Gilgeous-Alexander hit two tough midrange jumpers, including an and-one, to extend OKC's lead to three points with 32.5 seconds left in the first game.
As the entire crowd rose to its feet, CJ McCollum sent the crowd gasping back to their seats with a rise-up jumper that outscored rookie Cayson Wallace. He cut the Thunder's lead to one point, but was forced to foul another rookie at the line with 14 seconds left as the Thunder continued to hold onto their slim advantage.
The Pelicans called a timeout to decide on the final play, and Chet Holmgren split the score at the stripe.
Wallace was able to stick his hand in McCollum's cookie jar and force a scramble drill toward the buzzer that just went off the line. The No. 1 seed escaped a scare and took a 1-0 series lead inside Paycom Center.
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