Can The Pelicans Knock Off Red-Hot Thunder?
Check Out The Thunder vs Pelicans Betting Lines For Friday's Western Conference Showdown

There’s no stopping the Oklahoma City Thunder right now. The Thunder have won four straight NBA games, pushing their season’s record to 31-13.
That’s good for first place in the West, which, to some, is just mind-boggling. The Thunder have so many young assets, along with so many first-round picks coming up. They’re built for the present and the future.
They’ll head out on the road to take on the New Orleans Pelicans, who are also having a solid season. The Pelicans are 26-18 and easily in playoff contention. They’ve won three of their last five games but just scored 153 points in a win against the Jazz on Tuesday.
Therefore, the Pelicans are small favorites at home, at -2 (-115), with the total currently at 240.5.
We’ll break down the Thunder vs Pelicans betting lines below.
Thunder vs Pelicans 
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Location: Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, LA
Streaming: Watch Live Sports
Thunder vs Pelicans Betting Lines & Trends
The Oklahoma City Thunder have covered three of their last four games after winning all four. The Thunder are 29-15 against the spread this season and are 14-8 on the road.
On the other hand, the Pelicans have earned 25 wins against the spread in 44 games this season. They’re also 14-9 at home, which is almost a mirror of Oklahoma City’s road record.
The Pelicans have hit the Over and Under 22 times each. However, the Thunder have nailed the Over in 26 of 44 games.
Earlier this season, the Pelicans escaped the Thunder on the road, earning a 110-106 win on November 1. The Pelicans have won three of the last five meetings and, of course, won the most recent meeting earlier this season.
What Moves Should The Thunder Make?
It’s hard to know precisely how to improve when you’re in first place in the Western Conference.
You don’t want to stay put. But you also don’t want to ruin the chemistry of an NBA team that has won the most games in the Western Conference this season.
The consensus is that the Thunder shouldn’t add any significant pieces. They need pieces that can be plug-and-play veterans who understand their role.
The Thunder need a good locker room fit that will gel well with their already-established group.
One of the names that has been rumored around Oklahoma City has been Bruce Brown. Brown helped the Denver Nuggets win a Championship last season and then signed a free-agent deal with the Indiana Pacers.
A week ago, Brown was traded to the Raptors in a deal that saw the Pacers land Pascal Siakam. After that trade, reports suggested the Raptors were still interested in moving Brown for the right deal.
Brown has averaged about 12 points per game, with nearly five rebounds and three assists with a steal. He can shoot well from downtown and was widely loved by his teammates in Denver during their NBA Championship run.
If the Thunder are going to make a move, Brown would be at the top of the list.
CJ McCollum’s Growth
The Pelicans will only go as far as CJ McCollum takes them.
McCollum has put up career-best NBA player stats so far this NBA season. At 32 years old, he’s shot nearly 45% from three and has shot an effective field goal percentage of almost 60%. He’s also added more than a steal per game and has earned close to one block per game.
Fans aren’t really noticing. He’s not even top-ten in Western Conference NBA All-Star voting. However, his numbers on the floor suggest he’s a top-ten player in the Western Conference.
McCollum insisted that he spent a lot of time on his game. He read, wrote, slept early, got some personal training and massages, and was in the gym a lot at night during the off-season. He sacrificed a lot, and now it’s all paying dividends. Whether he makes the All-Star Game or doesn’t, the Pelicans are in NBA playoff contention because of him.
The Pelicans Are Sneaky!
The Oklahoma City Thunder are one of the best offenses in the NBA. They’ve scored 121.3 points per 100 possessions and have added an effective field goal percentage of 58%. That’s the second-best rate in the NBA.
On top of that, the Thunder have only turned the ball over 12.2% of the time, allowing them to get off plenty of shots despite not being very active on the offensive glass.
New Orleans should still get to the foul line to add extra points, but don’t expect them to add a bunch of second-chance points in this game.
But while the Thunder are dominant offensively, the Pelicans rank in the top ten defensively in points per 100 possessions, effective field goal percentage, and turnover percentage. New Orleans will make it hard on the Thunder defensively despite the Thunder being so efficient.
On the flip side, the Thunder are even better defensively in all three of those categories. However, Oklahoma City falls off on the defensive glass and foul at a very high rate.
That’s where the Pelicans will be sneaky. New Orleans has added 27.9% of offensive rebounds and has a very high free throw rate of 21.9 on the offensive end. After looking through the NBA odds, the Thunder vs Pelicans betting lines stood out.
Let’s take the Pelicans -2 (-115) at home.
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