New Orleans Pelicans vs Oklahoma City Thunder

Oklahoma City dominated the third game of the series as it did in Game 2 and the Thunder came away with a 106-85 victory to take a 3-0 lead. The Thunder scored 23 points off 21 turnovers by the Pelicans, who appear to be no match especially without injured Zion Williamson. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 24 points to lead three 20-point scorers for the Thunder. The game stayed UNDER by 19 points and New Orleans has averaged only 89.6 points the first three games and they scored just 46 points in the first half on Saturday. Oklahoma City has gone UNDER five of its past seven games and New Orleans is 6-3-1 UNDER its past 10. The Pelicans are 10-3-1 UNDER as underdogs and 19-6-1 UNDER as underdogs of 0.5-4.5 points. New Orleans is 0-6 ATS its past six home games and 4-9 ATS overall playing with one day of rest. The Thunder are 38-18-3 ATS after a double-digit win. Take the Thunder as a Max Play and the first half UNDER as a Max Play and also the full game to stay UNDER.

New Orleans came close in Game 1, but it was no match against the Thunder on Wednesday and the Pelicans were blown out 124-92. Shai-Gilgeous Alexander scored 33 points and Chet Holmgren added 26 and Oklahoma City shot 59.0 percent. The Thunder scored 22 points off 18 turnovers by New Orleans, who still will be without Zion Williamson due to a hamstring injury. The Peiicans are 46-37-1 UNDER this season and they have scored only 92 points in each of the first two games of the series. New Orleans is 9-21 ATS its past 30 Saturday games and 1-7 ATS overall at home against teams with winning road records. Oklahoma City is 9-4 UNDER versus teams with winning records and New Orleans is 21-7-1 UNDER as an underdog of 0.5-4.5 points. The Thunder are 37-18-3 ATS after winning by double digits their previous game. Play the Thunder, the first half UNDER as a Max Play and the full game to go UNDER.

Oklahoma City won't be in a letdown spot after barely winning Game 1 when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 28 points, including the go-ahead basket with 32.5 seconds left. It was the Thunder's first home playoff game since 2019 and they will be just as focused in Game 2 after the narrow victory. The Thunder are 25-12 ATS playing with two days rest and they have covered five of their past six home contests. New Orleans is 2-5 ATS following an ATS win and 7-16 ATS as a playoff underdog of 5.0-10.5 points. We can expect both teams to shoot better after they each had an off-shooting game and the Pelicans shot just 39 percent and 11 of 39 3-pointers. Oklahoma City had averaged 124 points its previous five games. The Thunder has gone OVER five of seven with two days rest and five of seven after an ATS loss. The OVER is 6-2 in Oklahoma City's past eight games versus teams with .600 road winning percentages. Take the Thunder as a Max Play, and bet this game to go OVER.

Oklahoma City is 27-14-0 ATS at home this season and it has won and covered the past two meetings with New Orleans and and four of the past six meetings have gone UNDER. The Thunder come into the postseason having won five straight and they covered the number the last four, including a 135-86 annihilation of Dallas, which sat out several starters last Sunday. The Thunder was #11 in the NBA allowing 112.7 points per game and #12 in 3-point defense. Shai ‎Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 30.1 points and four other scorers are in double figures and three of them shoot better than 50 percent for the Thunder. The Pelicans used a balanced approach to defeat Sacramento 105-98 on Friday night, but they will be without Zion Williamson, who is out with a hamstring injury. Oklahoma City is 8-3 UNDER as a home favorite and 8-3 UNDER overall versus teams with winning records. New Orleans is 8-2-1 UNDER as an underdog and 23-9-1 UNDER as a road dog. Take the Thunder as a Max Play and the first half and the game to go UNDER.