Oklahoma have taken a step nearer to advancing from the Western Conference playoff sequence opening spherical with a thumping 124-92 win over New Orleans.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 33 factors because the Thunder took a 2-0 lead over the Pelicans in Oklahoma on Wednesday night time.
Gilgeous-Alexander mentioned the Thunder remained centered as an alternative of worrying about exterior points similar to different extremely seeded groups struggling at dwelling.
“I think it just goes back to us prioritising winning,” he mentioned. “And all those things are distractions that get in the way of winning.
“And each night time, all 15 of us go to mattress and to win the following recreation, need to win the following day. And we do all the pieces we will to take action.”
Chet Holmgren had 26 points and seven rebounds and Jalen Williams added 21 points for the top-seeded hosts, who shot 59 per cent from the field and made 14 of 29 3-pointers.
Australian star Josh Giddey played his part too, adding 13 points to go with six rebounds and three assists.
Jonas Valanciunas scored 19 points and Herb Jones and Brandon Ingram added 18 each for the Pelicans.
New Orleans continued to struggle on offense without top scorer Zion Williamson, who remained out with a strained left hamstring.
In Game 1, Valanciunas had 20 rebounds, including nine offensive, and the Pelicans outrebounded the Thunder 52-44. On Wednesday, Oklahoma City outrebounded New Orleans 37-35 and held the Pelicans to eight offensive boards.
The Thunder also scored 22 points off New Orleans’ 18 turnovers.
Game 3 will be on Saturday in New Orleans.
“Now, the problem is to proceed to develop and study and enhance with the sequence as a result of the Pelicans are going to enhance,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said.
The pace picked up significantly from Sunday’s game, which Oklahoma City won 94-92. The Thunder, who averaged 120.1 points in the regular season, were much more comfortable with it.
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. He didn’t score for the first nine minutes, then scored seven 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 half-time. Holmgren scored 20 points and Gilgeous-Alexander added 16 before the break.
The Thunder extended their lead to 92-74 at the end of the third, and Gilgeous-Alexander and Holmgren went to the bench for good with the Thunder leading 120-86 in the fourth.
In Boston, Tyler Herro had 24 points and 14 assists, hitting six of Miami’s franchise playoff-record 23 3-pointers, to lead the Heat to a 111-101 victory over the Boston Celtics.
Wednesday night’s result tied their first-round playoff series at one game apiece.
Bam Adebayo had 21 points and 10 rebounds, and new Celtics nemesis Caleb Martin also had 21 points for the Heat, who shot 53.5 per cent (23 of 43) from beyond the arc to bounce back after a Game 1 blowout. That broke Miami’s playoff record of 20 3-pointers, set against the Bucks in the 2021 first round.
Jaylen Brown scored 33 points for top-seeded Boston. Jayson Tatum scored 28, showing no ill-effects of Martin’s hard foul that sent him crashing to the floor with under a minute to play in Boston’s 114-94 victory on Sunday.
The sequence strikes to Miami for Games 3 and 4 on Saturday and Monday.
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
