The New Orleans Pelicans could see their 2023-24 season end on Monday as Willie Green’s team faces the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 4 with a 3-0 deficit in the first-round series of the NBA playoffs.
New Orleans needs big performances from its stars to survive for another day. Bookmaker Pinnacle offers odds at +106 for Brandon Ingram to score over 21.5 points and -110 for CJ McCollum to net at least 20 points.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: April 28th, 9:00 P.M. (EST)
Both Ingram and McCollum have been off form so far, resulting in the Pelicans averaging only 89.7 points per game in the match-up. The team started the series well, going down only 94-92 in Game 1, but the Thunder have completely dominated since then, earning two blowout wins.
McCollum is the top-scoring Pelican in the playoffs, but he’s only posted 17.0 points per game with 37.9 percent shooting. Ingram has hit 40 percent of his three-point attempts, but his overall effectiveness has been far from good, and the former All-Star has been limited to 16.3 points per game.
With the team’s star players struggling to produce, the Pelicans find themselves in a very uncomfortable position – no team in NBA history has managed to come back from a 3-0 deficit in a playoff series.
OKC has been outstanding at both ends of the court. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is leading the offense, scoring 28.3 points a night, and Chet Holmgren anchors the defense. The rookie has looked incredible in his first few postseason games, racking up 11 blocks. Holmgren is also close to averaging a double-double, having gone for 15.7 points and 8.7 rebounds.
Combined with the regular season, the Thunder has beaten New Orleans in five of six games this season. The Pelicans have managed to get to 100 points just twice against them, and their task is further complicated by Zion Williamson’s absence.
Williamson is set to be re-evaluated on Tuesday for a hamstring injury he suffered in New Orleans’ first play-in game against the Lakers. He was huge in the contest, finishing his first career postseason outing with 40 points.
The Pelicans might still make the series against Oklahoma City competitive if they can get a similar level of production from Zion. However, he won’t be able to help the team in any playoff games if New Orleans doesn’t win on Monday.
