Game Preview: New Orleans Pelicans look to overcome recent loss to Oklahoma City Thunder
Dec 4, 2016; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) drives to the basket in front of New Orleans Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday (11) and New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23) during the fourth quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
The New Orleans Pelicans (10-20) get their second opportunity in as many nights to avenge a recent loss, this time against the Oklahoma City Thunder (16-12).
The easiest question to ask about any New Orleans Pelicans game for the forseeable future is an easy one: Are the Pelicans a better team than their opponent? For great teams – top-five, surefire playoff teams – that answer doesn’t much matter. Those squads are all relatively equal, and individual matchups, coaching decisions, or scheduling luck will decide those games. But for the Pelicans, it’s a difficult call whether or not they’re even more talented than a given opponent.
The Oklahoma City Thunder used to be one of those surefire playoff teams, and maybe they still are. But the departure of Kevin Durant in July completely changed the conversation surrounding this team. The conversations the team hoped to be having (“Will we have home-court advantage? What is our best playoff lineup?”) have given way to discourse about the legitimacy of a triple-double and the MVP odds of their star.
That star, Russell Westbrook, is playing at a level that can legitimately match (or succeed) that of Anthony Davis’s season so far. Westbrook’s ability to score in crunch time (.446 effective field goal percentage in those situations compared to AD’s .385), create offense out of thin air, and ignite his team in transition are a formidable match for what Davis does for the Pelicans.
Tonight, the Pelicans cannot count on having the superstar advantage they’ve relied on in so many games. Their role players will have to fill in the gaps, but there is reason for optimism that they will be able to do so. Everyone is getting healthy, which allows Alvin Gentry the advantage he talked so much about in the offseason: With a bloated rotation full of talented players, you can isolate your advantage and attack it.
Advantage Number One against the Thunder is simply the lack of offensive talent around Westbrook. Stop him, or even hold him to a human performance, and you’ve given yourself a good chance to keep the game close. Against a team that’s been unquestionably better than the Pelicans, close is all you can ask for.
Dec 4, 2016; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Domantas Sabonis (3) handles the ball in front of New Orleans Pelicans forward Terrence Jones (9) during the third quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Who, When, Where and How to Watch
When and Where: The game will be played at 7:00 p.m. CT in New Orleans.
How To Watch: The game will be broadcast on Fox Sports New Orleans and NBA League Pass.
Injuries:
New Orleans: Tyreke Evans (Right Knee/Rest) is doubtful. Quincy Pondexter (Left Knee) is out.
Oklahoma City: Victor Oladipo (Wrist) and Cameron Payne (Foot) are out.
Probable Starting Lineups:
New Orleans: PG Jrue Holiday, SG Buddy Hield , SF Solomon Hill, PF Anthony Davis, C Alexis Ajinca
Oklahoma City: PG Russell Westbrook, SG Anthony Morrow, SF Andre Roberson, PF Domantas Sabonis, C Steven Adams
Other Players to Watch:
New Orleans: E’Twaun Moore, Terrence Jones, Anthony Brown, Reggie Williams and Langston Galloway
Oklahoma City: Enes Kanter, Semaj Christon, Jerami Grant, Alex Abrines, Kyle Singler, and Joffrey Lauvergne
What’s Next for the Pelicans?
The New Orleans Pelicans will stay home following tonight’s game and face the Miami Heat at the Smoothie King Center on Friday night. Tip is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. CT.
Dec 5, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) celebrates a play with guard Victor Oladipo (5) in the fourth quarter of their game against the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena. The Thunder won 102-99. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
The Pelicans must exploit the OKC’s backup guards with Oladipo out
In the first slide, we outlined the lack of depth around Russell Westbrook. That’s clear in both his outrageous usage rate (41.7% of OKC’s possessions) and the unheard-of names around him: Semaj Christon, Alex Abrines, Joffrey Lauvergne. Tonight, like the last several, the Thunder will also be without starting off-guard Victor Oladipo.
In his place, OKC will start Anthony Morrow, an exploitable negative on defense. His matchup will likely be Buddy Hield for the first several minutes of the game. If you’ve watched the Pelicans over the past two weeks, you’ve noticed how aggressive an effort Alvin Gentry makes to get Hield in rhythm over the first several possessions of a game. Put Hield through a few screens, and Morrow’s going to have trouble keeping up.
The starting unit from that stretch (minus a few while Solomon Hill oversaw the birth of his new daughter) has been Hield, Hill, Jrue Holiday, Anthony Davis, and Alexis Ajinca. That unit has now seen 48 minutes of game action, and the results have been decent: 95 possessions (three less than the Pelicans’ average), a 105.3 offensive rating (2.9 better than the team’s full-season mark), and a .544 effective field goal percentage (.057 better than the overall team efficiency). Happy Holidays!
Another positive that has come from a full rotation is Alvin Gentry’s ability to find lineups that work and exploit opportunities that the opponent affords him. In last night’s win over the Philadelphia 76ers, scorer Langston Galloway was notably absent; against the Sixers, Gentry opted for versatile defense instead of Galloway’s chucking. On other nights when things go stale, perhaps Galloway will see more time.
That’s the positive of having so many healthy guys, as strange as that is to type for a Pelicans blog. It’s also something Gentry must play with tonight against an Oladipo-less Thunder squad. Morrow is exploitable, as is the Christon-Abrines backup tandem. E’Twaun Moore and Tim Frazier have an opportunity here, as does the whole Pelicans team. At home against a team that stole their lunch two weeks ago, victory will taste mighty sweet.
There’s a recipe here, Chef Gentry just has to get to cooking.
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