Pelicans vs Thunder Prediction - NBA Picks 11/1/23

Oklahoma City Thunder (3-1) vs New Orleans Pelicans (2-1)

Game Info: Wednesday, November 1, 2023 at 7:30 pm (Paycom Center)

Betting Odds: Oklahoma City Thunder -3.5 -- Over/Under: 225.5 Click Here for the Latest Odds

The New Orleans Pelicans invade the Paycom Center to battle the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night.

New Orleans Pelicans

The New Orleans Pelicans kicked off their season with a couple of decent wins, but they are now hoping to bounce back after getting scorched by the Warriors in a 130-102 loss on Monday. Zion Williamson and CJ McCollum each scored 19 points, Jordan Hawkins added 14 points while Jonas Valanciunas chipped in with 11 points, six rebounds and two blocks. As a team, the Pelicans shot just 40 percent from the field and 10 of 39 from the 3-point line as they were right in the contest early on, trailing by just two points going into halftime, before they leaked 71 points in the second half to suffer their first loss of the season. To be fair, there wasn't much they could do once the Warriors' Stephen Curry caught fire in the third quarter to finish with 42 points for the game.

Oklahoma City Thunder

Meanwhile, the Oklahoma City Thunder will be aiming for their fourth win in five games after routing the Pistons in a 124-112 win on Monday. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the team with 32 points, nine rebounds and four assists, Josh Giddey added 21 points, seven rebounds and three assists while Jalen Williams chipped in with 19 points, seven rebounds and six assists. As a team, the Thunder shot a healthy 53 percent from the field and 13 of 29 from the 3-point line as they set the tone with 33 points in the first quarter to take an early double-digit lead which ballooned to 21 points before the Thunder started to rest some starters early.

Peter's Pick

The Pelicans are already missing Jose Alverado and Trey Murphy, but now they are keeping an eye on Brandon Ingram who is questionable with knee soreness, while the Thunder are coming in with the same lineup. The Pelicans were looking good at the start of the season, but they got a rude reality check against the Warriors on Monday. The Thunder have emerged as one of the surprise teams of the league so far and they would love to keep building momentum, especially with the entire team together and healthy. I would be tempted to take the Pelicans if Ingram was ready to go, but given his uncertain status, I'd rather side with the Thunder to get the job done at the short line.