We're back with another betting prediction and pick for the 2024 NBA Playoffs as we head over to the Western Conference for this one vs. eight seed matchup. The Oklahoma City Thunder will take a 2-0 lead against the New Orleans Pelicans as the series shifts to the Smoothie King Center. Check out our NBA odds series for our Thunder-Pelicans prediction and pick.

The Oklahoma City Thunder are up two games to none after a dominant performance to defend home court and head to New Orleans with series control. After a shaky start in Game 1 that saw them knock off some rust, the Thunder dominated Game 2, winning 124-92 and leading the game since the opening quarter. They come into Game 3 as near-even road favorites.

The New Orleans Pelicans will look to gain some ground at home, where they went 21-19 during the regular season. After a solid battle in Game 1 in which they could have easily emerged as the winners, they were trounced in Game 2 and will need a must-win while the series stays in New Orleans. They look for their first win over OKC since November 1, 2023.

Here are the NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

NBA Playoffs Odds: Thunder-Pelicans Game 3 Odds

Oklahoma City Thunder: -1 (-108)

Moneyline: -110

New Orleans Pelicans: +1 (-112)

Moneyline: -106

Over: 208 (-110)

Under: 208 (-110)

How to Watch Thunder vs. Pelicans Game 3 

Time: 3:30 p.m. ET/ 12:30 p.m. PT

TV: TNT

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why The Thunder Could Cover The Spread/Win

Coach Mark Daigneault discussed before this series that his team may be shaking off some rust given their capture of the one-seed and time off from the start of this series. They proved they can be resilient down the stretch in their Game 1 win and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has immediately placed himself on the shortlist of players that can lead a team to a ring. Their Game 2 performance was even more impressive as their defense played as a unit and forced 18 turnovers from the Pelicans. It was an all-around poor shooting night from New Orleans, but the OKC defenders managed to close-out on their man and play tight around the perimeters.

The one area the Oklahoma City Thunder could improve on has been their rebounding and boxing-out on defense. They gave up a number of crucial offensive rebounds down the stretch in Game 1 and they certainly cleaned up their efforts in the following game. They're no strangers to beating the Pelicans on the road and they've managed to cover the spread in three of their last four meetings. This Oklahoma City team is very deep and it seems as though they've had all the answers for the Pelicans this series.

Why The Pelicans Could Cover The Spread/Win

The Pelicans needed that Game 1 win and with how jittery the Thunder looked to open the series as they had a chance to change the trajectory and make this a tighter competition. Game 2 was a different story all together. Their three-point shooting dropped significantly and the turnover numbers went up, so it's no surprise that they couldn't keep up with the Thunder's high pace at home. The Pelicans are shooting just 27.6% from three during this series, a steep drop from the 38.3% they posted during the season. They will definitely need to improve on that number if they want to swing back this series.

The Pelicans have been able to contend on the boards and they've seen success with second-chance opportunities off offensive rebounds. Their shot selection will be crucial if this defense shows up to play again, so expect Brandon Ingram to be aggressive in finding his shot and rhythm early. It's still unclear whether Zion Williamson will make an appearance this series, but the Pelicans are focused on the task at hand and getting players like CJ McCollum and Herbert Jones hot from the field.

Final Thunder-Pelicans Prediction & Pick

Game 1 made this feel like it was going to be a close back-and-forth series, but Game 2 completely changed the tune and swung all momentum in favor of the Oklahoma City Thunder. This has to be a must-win for the Pelicans as they can't risk falling down 0-3 to the best team in the West.

Once the Thunder honed-in their defense in Game 2, they seemed unstoppable once their shots started falling on the offensive end. The Pelicans haven't had many answers in stopping Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and with 33 points in his last outing, he's poised for another big performance here.

The Pelicans will have to see better scoring output from players like CJ McCollum if they want to win a game this series. He was 1-5 from three in their last game and the whole team has been struggling from beyond the arc this series. Their success from the field will be the only thing that makes this a close game at home.

I think the New Orleans Pelicans will fight back several times during this game, but the Oklahoma City Thunder are 49-14 this season when listed as the favorites and they've got a solid 24-17 on the road. This spread is basically a pick'em, so we'll have to side with the Oklahoma City Thunder to take the 3-0 lead in this series.

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Final Thunder-Pelicans Prediction & Pick: Oklahoma City Thunder -1 (-108)