The Thunder and Pelicans have already played each other this season. This time the Pelicans would be without Lonzo Ball, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Zion Williamson. Since the last time, they played the Thunder have been able to gel as a unit. The Pelicans were able to find out first-hand tonight how well the Thunder have played together. OKC hasn’t been known for their bench in the past but this season they’re putting people on notice. One of the bright spots for the OKC Thunder bench this season has been Dennis Schröder. The way that Schröder has played this season has been NBA Sixth Man worthy. On the season coming into tonight’s matchup against the Pelicans, he’s averaging 15.4 ppg. Tonight that continued as he started off with a slow first quarter with only 2 points. After the first quarter, Dennis changed into his Nike KD12 that he’s played in the majority of the season and finished the game with 25 points. The 25 points that Dennis Schröder had tonight was enough to lead the Thunder in scoring. It didn’t matter who the Pelicans put on Schröder as he was able to score inside and out tonight. The Pelicans had no answer for Dennis Schröder as he was hitting on his shots and getting his teammates involved early.
Another big piece to the OKC Thunder bench as of late has been Abdel Nader. The past two games Nader has been lights out as he’s scored 42 points in the last two games including his (19 points) from tonight. The confidence that Nader has been playing with the last couple of games has earned him more time in the rotation. He’s been able to knock down the open 3 pointers and has been able to show that he can score off the dribble as well. The growth in this bench unit has been special to watch and the Thunder needed every single point that they got from them tonight. Tonight wasn’t the best night for the Thunder starters but they stepped up when needed. Chris Paul and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander have been true leaders and even when they’re not the leading scorers they still make an impact. This Thunder team is scrappy and they fight until the very end of every game. The defense has been able to hold teams in the last couple of games in the crunch time moments. The Thunder are finally realizing their identity and this unit has gained the total confidence that was on display tonight.
The Pelicans had a long night trying to defense Dennis Schröder and Steven Adams. Overall the Pelicans have been hit with the injury bug but they continued to fight throughout the season. Brandon Ingram has been the player that has stepped up all season for the Pelicans and it continued tonight. It seemed as though Brandon Ingram was unstoppable as he finished with 26 points. The growth in Ingram’s game has been on display and he has improved on his attacking the paint and jumper. Jaxson Hayes had 11 points on the night and battled all night against Steven Adams. The other players that really helped out for the Pelicans Josh Hart and JJ Redick. Both Redick and Hart were making it tough on the Thunder on the perimeter but the defense from OKC helped them prevail in this game. The Pelicans are in a prime spot coming up knowing that Zion is about a week away and they will be getting Lonzo back. So keep an eye on this New Orleans Pelican team as they can look to make a push.
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