The Oklahoma City Thunder secured a 106-88 victory against the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night, led by standout performances from Jalen Williams and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Williams scored a team-high 31 points, shooting 10-for-18 from the field and adding seven assists, while Gilgeous-Alexander contributed 29 points on 12-of-25 shooting as the Thunder improved to a 10-2 record.
This marks Oklahoma City’s second straight win without Chet Holmgren, who is sidelined for at least eight weeks due to a pelvic fracture.
The Pelicans, who were without key players Zion Williamson, CJ McCollum, and Jose Alvarado, managed a 16-6 lead early in the game but could not maintain momentum.
klahoma City responded with a 24-8 run to close out the first quarter, led by nine points from Gilgeous-Alexander and strong bench contributions from Kenrich Williams.
The Thunder broke a 59-59 tie with a 16-0 surge in the third quarter, establishing a 75-59 advantage. Lou Dort added 11 points, including three 3-pointers, and Aaron Wiggins contributed 10 points off the bench, bolstering Oklahoma City’s offense.
Despite the Pelicans’ 58-31 rebounding advantage, their 24 turnovers, eight of which came from Brandon Ingram, stifled their scoring opportunities
Ingram led New Orleans with 18 points, followed by Trey Murphy’s 14 points and Yves Missi’s 10-point, 10-rebound double-double.
The Pelicans’ injury-depleted lineup faced challenges with shot consistency, finishing with a 39.5% shooting rate, while the Thunder capitalized on their shooting, converting 15 of 39 attempts from beyond the arc.
