OKLAHOMA CITY — After a slim win in Sport 1, Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder coach Mark Daigneault warned his workforce in regards to the New Orleans Pelicans popping out with extra aggression in Sport 2 on Wednesday night time. And the Pelicans did hit first, with their first 11 factors coming from bruising heart Jonas Valanciunas.
However after that first punch, the Thunder turned the aggressors as Oklahoma Metropolis cruised to a 124-92 victory to take a 2-0 lead within the first-round sequence.
The win was the fourth-largest playoff victory in Thunder/Seattle SuperSonics historical past and second largest for the reason that workforce moved to Oklahoma Metropolis.
The early counter to Valanciunas getting happening low was getting rookie Chet Holmgren occurring the perimeter. Holmgren had 15 of his 26 factors within the first quarter because the Thunder took a double-digit lead and by no means appeared again.
“He was nice to start out,” Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander mentioned. “He was aggressive, he was assertive, made fast choices and clearly was an enormous purpose why we received out to that lead. He simply performed to his strengths and did not attempt to stray from them. Everyone knows when he does that, he is actually good.”
Gilgeous-Alexander set a playoff profession excessive with 33 factors as he, Holmgren and Jalen Williams mixed for 80. All 124 factors for Oklahoma Metropolis have been scored by gamers 25 or youthful, making the Thunder the primary workforce in NBA historical past to have each level in a playoff recreation come from gamers who’re that younger, in response to ESPN Stats & Info analysis.
Because it did in Sport 1, the Thunder’s protection made issues robust for New Orleans all through the competition. Luguentz Dort’s protection on Brandon Ingram was once more key, holding him to 18 factors on 5-of-10 taking pictures, though he was 8-of-8 from the road.
Dort’s protection drew excessive reward from Gilgeous-Alexander postgame.
“I am glad I haven’t got to play towards him,” Gilgeous-Alexander mentioned. “It is the place he hangs his hat each night time, and he does not get complacent. It is uncommon nights that we swap. He fights by way of the whole lot and retains his matchup all night time, each second he is on the ground. He guards the perfect participant on one other workforce each night time. It is superb to look at and it is particular. It is actually a expertise.
“Some guys can rating, and Lu can play protection. How he hasn’t made an All-NBA workforce defensively or something like that? I do not know. I do not vote, however he’s among the finest protection I’ve ever seen in my life.”
Oklahoma Metropolis shot 59% general and was 14-of-29 from 3-point vary. Williams mentioned the Thunder have been letting the sport come to them.
“Particularly within the playoffs, all people’s type of centered on each element,” Williams mentioned. “Guys know your performs, so that you type of simply received to take what’s there and not likely drive something. I feel for myself and the remainder of the workforce, I believed we simply did a very good job of letting one another make a play and simply type of studying off of that.”
New Orleans, which suffered the second-largest playoff defeat in its historical past, did not do itself any favors, because it completed with 18 turnovers that led to 22 factors for the Thunder. Eight of these turnovers have been offensive fouls.
The Pelicans turned simply the second workforce prior to now 10 seasons to have eight offensive fouls in a postseason recreation, matching a feat by the 2015 Pelicans in Sport 3 of the primary spherical towards the Golden State Warriors.
The No. 1 seed is 54-1 all time towards the No. 8 seed after taking a 2-0 sequence lead within the first spherical. The lone win was by the 1994 Denver Nuggets, who got here again in a best-of-five sequence towards the SuperSonics.
For New Orleans to have an opportunity, it should begin on the offensive finish after two poor performances in Oklahoma Metropolis.
“I feel it is time for us to be collectively somewhat bit extra,” Ingram mentioned. “You take a look at OKC, you possibly can see how collectively they’re. We won’t splinter down 0-2. We gotta return and take a look at movie and we gotta discuss as gamers about what’s our greatest protection, what’s our greatest offense and we now have to go on the market and do it.”
