The Oklahoma City Thunder took a commanding 2-0 lead in their first-round Western Conference playoff series against the New Orleans Pelicans with a resounding 124-92 victory on Wednesday night.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way for the Thunder with 33 points, while Chet Holmgren added 26 points and seven rebounds. Jalen Williams also chipped in with 21 points for Oklahoma City, which shot a blistering 59% from the field and made 14 of 29 3-pointers.
Jonas Valanciunas led the Pelicans with 19 points, but the team struggled offensively without injured star Zion Williamson. Herb Jones and Brandon Ingram added 18 points each for New Orleans, but they were no match for the Thunder’s balanced attack.
Oklahoma City also outrebounded New Orleans 37-35 and held the Pelicans to eight offensive rebounds. The Thunder also scored 22 points off of the Pelicans’ 18 turnovers.
The pace of the game picked up significantly from Sunday’s opener, which Oklahoma City won 94-92. The Thunder, who averaged 120.1 points in the regular season, looked much more comfortable in the up-tempo pace.
Valanciunas scored 11 points in the first three minutes of the game, but Holmgren countered with 13 points in seven minutes of first-quarter action. Gilgeous-Alexander picked up where Holmgren left off, scoring seven points in the final three minutes of the quarter to help the Thunder take a 35-22 lead.
Holmgren’s 15 points were the most by a Thunder rookie in any quarter of a playoff game.
Oklahoma City led 63-50 at halftime and extended their lead to 92-74 at the end of the third quarter. Gilgeous-Alexander and Holmgren went to the bench for good with the Thunder leading 120-86 in the fourth quarter.
Game 3 of the series will be played in New Orleans on Saturday night.
