NBA Play-In Tournament: Lineups, predictions and live stream for Thunder vs. Pelicans
By Ian Levy
The Pelicans and Thunder face off with a chance to extend their season in the NBA Play-In Tournament. Here’s everything you need to know to watch.
The NBA Play-In Tournament got off to a bang Tuesday with the Hawks securing the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference with a surprise win over the Heat. In the late game, the Lakers escaped in overtime against the Timberwolves to secure the No. 7 in the West.
Wednesday things will continue with the Thunder vs. Pelicans in the No. 9 vs. No. 10 game in the West. the loser of this game will be eliminated. The winner will play the Timberwolves on Thursday in a winner-take-all game for the No. 8 seed.
Thunder vs. Pelicans projected starting lineups:
Both Jose Alvarado and Zion Williamson will be out for the Pelicans and Larry Nance Jr. is listed as questionable. No significant rotation players for the Thunder are listed in the injury report. That leaves us with this as the probable starting lineups:
Oklahoma City Thunder:
- PG — Josh Giddey
- SG — Lu Dort
- SF — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
- PF — Jalen Williams
- C — Jaylen Williams
New Orleans Pelicans:
- PG — CJ McCollum
- SG — Herb Jones
- SF — Brandon Ingram
- PF — Trey Murphy
- C — Jonas Valanciunas
How to watch Thunder vs. Pelicans in the NBA Play-In Tournament:
Date: Wednesday, April 12
Start Time: 9:30 p.m. ET
Location: New Orleans, LA
Arena: Smoothie King Center
TV Channel: ESPN
Live Stream: ESPN, ESPN+, FuboTV (free seven-day trial)
Thunder vs. Pelicans prediction:
FiveThirtyEight gives the Pelicans a 68 percent chance of winning this game, a much closer spread than what we see with the Raptors and Bulls or with either of the No. 7 vs. No. 8 games on Tuesday night. The Thunder are loaded with long shot-creators but the Pelicans have multiple defenders to throw at them, including Herb Jones on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, as well as an edge in playoff experience. The Pelicans did win three of their four regular season matchups against the Thunder but they all came by four points or less. I’d expect the Pelicans to advance but if Shai Gilgeous Alexander can get hot, the Thunder can absolutely make this a close game.
Next. Every NBA team's all-time starting lineup. dark
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