By Joe Vardon, Josh Robbins, John Hollinger and William Guillory
The Oklahoma City Thunder took on the New Orleans Pelicans with ease on Saturday, taking a 3-0 series lead behind a 106-85 runaway victory to set up a potential Monday night sweep.
The Thunder dominated the Pelicans in every quarter and never trailed after 7:25 of the first quarter. They forced 20 New Orleans turnovers and capitalized by hitting 17 3-pointers compared to nine for the Pelicans.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led all scorers with 24 points, one of three Oklahoma City starters with 20-plus points.
Thunder 106, Pelicans 85
Series: Thunder 3-0
Game 5: Monday in New Orleans
Could Oklahoma City win too easily?
NEW ORLEANS — Is sweeping this series really a problem? This is about the biggest “worry” imaginable for Oklahoma City after Saturday’s 106-85 rout in Game 3: Will completing a sweep Monday leave them too rusty for the second round .
The Thunder would potentially have a bye week before their next game against the Dallas Mavericks or LA Clippers if they win on Monday (although this series could start as early as Saturday, it could also start as late as next Tuesday), having already had a bye week between the end of the regular season and the start of the playoffs. Are four games in 21 days enough to keep them fresh before potentially facing Luka Dončić in a best-of-seven series?
First world problems, sure, but of the things the Thunder have to worry about, none of them seem to involve the Pelicans. The Pels once again struggled to muster a point per possession against the Thunder’s stout defense. The only brief moment of concern in this game – Jalen Williams coming out after being hit in the face on a drive on the Thunder’s first offensive play – quickly evaporated when he returned and scored three straight baskets for start the second quarter.
If you Really If you want to find things to worry about, you can point out that the 3-point shooting disparity might eventually even out, or that Gordon Hayward went scoreless again and has yet to score in 27 minutes in this series, while primarily being a passive observer of the proceedings. But I’m grasping at straws here.
In the meantime, Oklahoma City can enjoy a nice meal in the French Quarter between games, and maybe a celebratory daiquiri or two after the Coach of the Year announcement Sunday night, where Mark Daigneault of the Thunder is one of the favorites to win the award. The fourth and likely final game of the series returns here Monday night. — John Hollinger, NBA Senior Writer
No excuse for this level of New Orleans ineptitude
In Game 2, the Pelicans suffered their biggest loss in a playoff game since 2009. In Game 3, the Pelicans had their lowest scoring playoff game since 2011. In all three games, the Pelicans did not failed to score more than 92 points. Being without Zion Williamson certainly hurts, but there’s no excuse for New Orleans to be as bad as they have been on offense in this series. Brandon Ingram finished with 19 points in game three. He failed to reach 20 points in any of the games in this series.
The Pels also had a total of 39 turnovers in Games 2 and 3. Willie Green tried to open the floor a bit by sitting Jonas Valančiūnas for the entire second half of Game 3. It didn’t work . Ultimately, if Ingram and CJ McCollum (16 points on 7-22 shooting in Game 3) are going to be this bad, the Pelicans don’t have much hope of beating anyone, much less the lead serial number 1. in the West. — Will Guillory and the Pelicans beat the writer
Series: Tied 2-2
Game 5: Tuesday in Cleveland (TNT)
How Jalen Suggs set the tone in Orlando
You can name all the X’s and O’s you want, but sometimes these things aren’t that complicated. The Magic go as far as Jalen Suggs takes them.
He is their heart and soul. When Suggs wreaked havoc on defense and played freely (and relatively error-free) on offense, the Magic tormented the Cavs in this series. (And when it struggled on the offensive end, as it did in Games 1 and 2 and the first half of Game 3, the Magic struggled, too.)
One of the not-so-subtle adjustments Magic coach Jamahl Mosley made between Game 2 and Game 3 was deciding to have Suggs guard Donovan Mitchell more often instead of primarily placing Gary Harris on Mitchell. Mitchell has had his spurts – especially in Saturday’s first half – but when Suggs makes things difficult, Orlando’s tone completely changes.
It’s no coincidence that Suggs made both of his 3-pointers in Saturday’s decisive third quarter and it was Suggs who engaged in a breathtaking face-off with Darius Garland. Those were huge stretches of momentum in a quarter full of them for the Magic. On Saturday, Suggs finished with 12 points, two rebounds, three assists and seven turnovers, but those stats 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 Banchero and Suggs playing poorly.
As these teams head into a crucial Game 5 in Cleveland on Tuesday, Suggs will be the barometer of the series more than anyone. — Josh Robbins, Wizards Senior Writer
A disastrous second half sinks the Cavaliers
Teams that win the first two games of a playoff series advance to the next round 91% of the time. Is this what the other nine percent look like?
If there are words that could do justice to the lows the Cavs have sunk to in two games in Orlando this week, my academic studies haven’t reached them. It stinks, it stinks and it stinks of work so far.
This first round series with the Magic is now tied after the Magic won Game 4 at home by 23 points, for a two-game winning margin of 61 points. Orlando’s 38 points in Game 3 on Thursday constituted the most lopsided defeat in playoff history for the Cavs, a dubious record that would have been in serious jeopardy on Saturday had Cleveland not taken a nine-point lead in locker rooms. The Cavs still haven’t shot the ball well in this series; I think you’d agree, 4 of 17 on 3-pointers Saturday isn’t enough.
I’ve been covering the NBA for 10 straight years now; the first 4 1/2 I followed the Cavs exclusively and will follow them in these playoffs until they bow out. I can say that the third quarter of Game 4 was the worst quarter I have ever seen from a good Cavs team. More turnovers (six) than field goals (four). I gave up 37. I managed only 10, coughing up a lung and any remaining pride after Thursday’s beating.
Before JB Bickerstaff joined the punt team, with about five minutes remaining, the Magic bench outscored the Cavs reserves, 36-4. Not a misprint. The starters weren’t very good either, especially after halftime. Mitchell, for example, failed to score in the second half after 18 points in the first half. This is unacceptable.
Stepping back from the wreckage, we know that no team has yet won a road game in this series, and no road team has played even this well in any game. The Magic will have to show that their myriad adjustments, first and foremost replacing Jonathan Isaac with Wendell Carter Jr., have truly unlocked something the Cavs can’t handle – that what happened here at the Kia Center doesn’t. was not just a house affair. comfort.
If Orlando does just that on Tuesday, then, well, this is what the other nine percent looks like. — Joe Vardon, Senior NBA Writer
Saturday’s NBA playoff schedule
Thunder over the pelicans
- 3:30 p.m. ET, TNT (OKC leads 2-0)
Celtics in heat
- 6 p.m. ET, TNT (series tied 1-1)
Nuggets at the Lakers
- 8:30 p.m. ET, ABC (Denver leads 3-0)
Sunday’s NBA playoff schedule
- Knicks at 76ers: 1 p.m. ET, ABC (New York leads 2-1)
- Clippers at Mavericks: 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC (Dallas leads 2-1)
- Dollars at the Pacers: 7 p.m. ET, TNT (Indiana leads 2-1)
- Timberwolves at the Suns: 9:30 p.m. ET, TNT (Minnesota leads 3-0)
Required reading
(Photo: Nathan Ray Seebeck / USA T0day)
