Written by Joe Vardon, Josh Robbins, John Hollinger, William Guillory
The Oklahoma City Thunder easily dispatched the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday, winning 106-85 to take a 3-0 series lead and set themselves up for a dominant victory on Monday night.
The Thunder outscored the Pelicans in each quarter and never trailed after 7:25 of the first quarter. They forced New Orleans into 20 turnovers and took advantage by hitting 17 3-pointers to the Pelicans' nine.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led all scorers with 24 points and was one of three Oklahoma City starters to score 20 or more points.
Thunder 106, Pelicans 85
series: Thunder up 3-0
Game 5: monday in new orleans
Did Oklahoma City win too easily?
NEW ORLEANS — Does sweeping this series actually matter? That's the biggest “concern” that comes to mind for Oklahoma City after Saturday's 106-85 loss in Game 3. The question is whether a clean sweep on Monday will make them too rusty heading into the second round.
If the Thunder win on Monday, they could have a week off before their next game against the Dallas Mavericks or Los Angeles Clippers (a series that could start as early as Saturday, but no later than next week) (Possibly starting on Tuesday). One week off between the end of the regular season and the start of the playoffs. Will four games in 21 days be enough to stay fresh before potentially facing Luka Doncic in a best-of-seven series?
Sure, there are first-world issues, but none of the things the Thunder should worry about seem to concern the Pelicans. The Pels once again struggled to muster a point per possession against the Thunder's stout defense. The only moment of concern in this game was when Jaylen Williams was ejected after being hit in the face on a drive on the Thunder's first offensive play, but when he returned and made three consecutive baskets to start the second quarter, It quickly disappeared.
If you Really One thing to worry about is that the 3-point shooting differential may eventually even out, or that Gordon Hayward is scoreless again and has yet to score in 27 minutes of this series. I can point out things that I haven't decided, but I'm mainly just observing the game. minutes. However, I am grasping at straws here.
Meanwhile, Oklahoma City will be able to enjoy a delicious meal in the French Quarter between games, and perhaps a celebratory daiquiri after Sunday night's Coach of the Year announcement, with the Thunder's Mark Dainot among the favorites for the award. You'll probably enjoy a drink or two. The fourth and likely final game of the series returns here on Monday night. — John Hollinger, NBA Senior Writer
There is no excuse for that level of incompetence in New Orleans.
In Game 2, the Pelicans suffered their biggest loss in a playoff game since 2009. In Game 3, the Pelicans had their lowest point total in the playoffs since 2011. In all three games, the Pelicans have failed to score more than 92 points. It certainly hurts to be without Zion Williamson, but there's no excuse for New Orleans to be this bad offensively in this series. Brandon Ingram finished with 19 points in Game 3, but hasn't reached 20 points in any game this series.
The Pels also had a combined 39 turnovers in Games 2 and 3. In Game 3, Willie Green tried to spread the floor a bit by sitting Jonas Valanciunas for the entire second half, but it didn't work. After all, if Ingram and CJ McCollum (16 points on 7-for-22 shooting in Game 3) are this bad, the Pelicans don't have much hope of winning against anyone, much less the No. 1 seed. There will be no. To the west. — Will Guillory, Pelicans beat writer
series: Draw 2-2
Game 5: Tuesday Cleveland (TNT)
How Jalen Suggs set the tone in Orlando
You could quote all the X's and O's you want, but sometimes these things aren't that complicated. The Magic will go as far as Jalen Suggs will lead them.
He is their heart and soul. The Magic have troubled the Cavaliers in this series, when Suggs wreaked havoc on defense and played freely (and relatively error-free) on offense. (And when he struggles offensively, like he did in Game 1, Game 2, and the first half of Game 3, Magic struggles, too.)
One of the not-so-subtle adjustments Magic coach Jamal Mosley made between Games 2 and 3 was primarily to have Suggs with Donovan Mitchell instead of having Gary Harris with Mitchell. The decision was to assign guards more often. Mitchell had his spurts, especially in the first half Saturday, but once Suggs made things difficult, Orlando's entire tone changed.
It's no coincidence that Suggs sank two 3-pointers in Saturday's game-changing third quarter, and it's no coincidence that it was Suggs who went head-to-head with Darius Garland. These were big momentum sequences for the Magic in a quarter filled with them. On Saturday, Suggs had 12 points, two rebounds, three assists, and seven turnovers, but those numbers don't match his actual impact in the third quarter.
Game 4 showed that Orlando can win even if Paolo Banchero plays poorly. Orlando can't stand the bad play of Banchero and Suggs.
As these teams head into a crucial Game 5 in Cleveland on Tuesday, Suggs will be as much a barometer of the series as anyone. — Josh Robbins, Wizards Senior Writer
Disastrous second half sinks Cavaliers
Teams that win the first two games of a playoff series have a 91% chance of advancing to the next round. What about the remaining 9%?
If there's a word that does justice to the low level at which the Cavs have fallen in their two games in Orlando this week, my college education didn't make sense of it. For now, smell, smell, and smell works.
This first round series against the Magic was tied with a two-game difference of 61 points, with the Magic winning Game 4 at home by 23 points. Orlando's 38 points in Thursday's Game 3 made it the Cavs' most lopsided loss in playoff history, and they would have been in serious jeopardy Saturday if Cleveland hadn't taken a nine-point lead into the locker room. This is a questionable record. The Cavs have yet to shoot the ball well in this series. As I'm sure you all agree, just making 4-of-17 3-pointers on Saturday wasn't enough.
I've been covering the NBA for 10 years in a row. The first 4 1/2 are only chasing the Cavs, and I plan on chasing them in the playoffs until they are eliminated. I'd say the third quarter of Game 4 was the worst quarter I've ever seen on a good Cavs team. He has more turnovers (six) than field goals (four). Give up is 37. Coughing up his lungs and what remained of his pride after Thursday's defeat, he managed just 10.
The Magic bench outscored the Cavs reserves 36-4 until JB Bickerstaff entered the punt team's lineup with about five minutes left. This is not a typo. The starting lineup wasn't too lenient either, especially after halftime. Mitchell, for example, scored 18 points in the first half, but didn't score in the second half. That's not acceptable.
If you step back from the rubble, you'll see that no team has yet won a road game in this series, and no road team has played anything close to a good performance in any game. The Magic have to make a myriad of adjustments, but first and foremost by trading Jonathan Isaac for Wendell Carter Jr., they truly unleashed something the Cavs can't handle — something that happened right here at Kia Center. Comfort is not just a home affair.
If Orlando does that on Tuesday, this is what the other 9 percent will look like. — Joe Vardon, NBA Senior Writer
Saturday NBA Playoff Schedule
pelicans thunder
- 3:30 PM ET (TNT) (OKC leads 2-0)
heat celtics
- 6pm ET, TNT (Series tied 1-1)
nuggets vs lakers
- 8:30 PM ET, ABC (Denver leads 3-0)
Sunday NBA Playoff Schedule
- Knicks vs. 76ers: 1 p.m. ET, ABC (New York leads 2-1)
- Clippers at Mavericks: 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC (Dallas leads 2-1)
- Bucks vs Pacers: 7 p.m. ET, TNT (Indiana leads 2-1)
- Timberwolves vs. Suns: 9:30pm ET (TNT) (Minnesota leads 3-0)
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(Photo: Nathan Ray Seebeck / USA T0day)
