Injury Report, Updated Odds (4/27): Oklahoma City Thunder at New Orleans Pelicans

The Thunder has the opportunity to go up 3-0 on the Pelcians while playing their first playoff game in New Orleans.

Josh Giddey (3) at Thunder Media Day, held in the Oklahoma City Convention Center on Monday, Oct. 2, / DOUG HOKE/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY

Game 3 is here for the Oklahoma City Thunder as they hit the road to New Orleans for their first road game against the Pelicans. With a 2-0 lead the Thunder has the opportunity to essentially put this series away with a 3-0 lead. 

The Thunder won Game 2 handily after a close Game 1, and it seems this team is every bit of ready for this playoff run despite discourse around the team potentially being a first-round exit.

With it being the first road game, the Thunder must be ready for a hostile environment. If they can manage that and stay poised, this series will be as good as over rolling into Sunday.

Injury Report

Thunder:

No injuries to report.

Pelicans:

Zion Williamson, OUT (Hamstring)

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Zion Williamson’s continued absence is making a lasting impact on this series. He had an elite Play-In Tournament performance before suffering the hamstring performance that will likely keep him out for the entire first-round series. While it’s a tough blow for the Pelicans, it’s been a big break for the Thunder.

Another big victory for the Thunder on paper is the lack of injuries. They’ve been healthy a good majority of the season, and that hasn’t changed during the playoffs. A key injury could swing the series, as is being shown by the Pelicans, so the Thunder wants to keep the injury report clean as much as they can moving forward.

Updated Odds

Playing in New Orleans is the only big change from the first two games and Game 3. After being an 8.5-point favorite in games one and two, the Thunder is just a 1.5-point favorite in Game 3. To be fair, the Pelicans playing in front of their home crowd could be dangerous. They're capable of getting hot behind the 3-point line and rallying behind a great crowd.

For the Thunder, controlling the pace will be what helps them manage the environment and have an edge in this contest.

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