Giddey, Gilgeous-Alexander Lead Thunder to Postseason Victory Over Pelicans

In Oklahoma City's first appearance in the NBA Play-In, the Thunder defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 123-118 at the Smoothie King Center on Wednesday evening. For OKC, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander lead the way with 32 points, five rebounds, three assists, three steals and one block.

OKC began the contest shooting 4-of-11 from the field, with three of the away team's first four baskets coming from defensive standout Lu Dort. Ahead 10-7, the Pelicans embarked on a 9-3 run capped off by a Herb Jones triple that gave New Orleans a nine point lead midway through the opening frame.

Dort continued his impressive offensive performance, scoring 12 of the Thunder's first 14 points. A 3-pointer from second-year guard Josh Giddey kicked off a 10-0 run that gave Oklahoma City a 24-21 lead with four minutes left in the first quarter.

Heading into the second period, OKC held a 32-29 advantage behind a career-high 14 first quarter points from Dort.

Giddey knocked down his second triple of the game less than two minutes into the second quarter to give the Thunder a 35-31 advantage. On Oklahoma City's ensuing offensive possession, sharpshooter Isaiah Joe connected on OKC's sixth 3-point make of the first half.

The Pelicans clawed back, however, going ahead 53-52 after a pair of free throws from Jones. Following a missed shot from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and an offensive rebound by the Pelicans, second-year guard Aaron Wiggins stole the ball and finished a quick "and-one" layup to help OKC reclaim the lead.

New Orleans quickly took control once again with a 3-pointer by Murphy III and a dunk in transition by Jones. After another triple from Murphy III, the Thunder trailed 63-57 heading into the break.

Gilgeous-Alexander scored first in the second half, knocking down a mid-range jumper from the elbow to cut the deficit to four. On Oklahoma City's next possession, SGA nailed a step-back 3-pointer, bringing the score to 63-62.

The Pelicans answered with a 6-0 run that pushed the home team's lead back up to seven. OKC would not go away, however, tying the game at 69 after two buckets from Giddey and an "and-one" from Dort.

With just over seven minutes left in the third quarter, Gilgeous-Alexander finished an impressive "and-one" layup of his own to give the Thunder a 74-71 lead. While the All-Star guard usually averages over 10 free throw attempts per contest, this was the Kentucky product's first shot from the charity strip of the game.

After a great take to the rim by Dort, OKC led 80-75 seven minutes into the second half. New Orleans' star forward Brandon Ingram continued to be an issue for the Thunder, keeping the Pelicans in contention every time Oklahoma City tried to make a run.

Late in the third quarter, Dort took an elbow to the face and Gilgeous-Alexander connected on a technical free throw to give the Thunder an 87-81 advantage. Giddey finished a contested, "and-one" layup a few possessions later to give OKC its largest lead of the night.

Heading into the final frame, Oklahoma City led New Orleans 96-87 behind a season-high 25 points from Dort and 24 points from both Giddey and Gilgeous-Alexander.

The Pelicans came out on the attack, easily cutting the Thunder's lead to 98-96 just two minutes into the fourth quarter. Coming out of another OKC timeout, rookie big man Jaylin Williams found the bottom of the net on a hook shot to give Oklahoma City a four point lead.

Veteran guard CJ McCollum nailed a triple from the corner to cut the Thunder's lead to one, followed by a dunk from Josh Richardson that returned the lead to New Orleans. The former Spur was called for a flagrant foul immediately after for hitting Giddey below the belt.

After the 20-year-old Australian tied the game at 101, rookie wing Jalen Williams put OKC ahead 103-101 before a 3-pointer from Pelicans big man Jonas Valanciunas gave the home team a 104-103 lead. A few moments later, Ingram grabbed his own miss and scored an easy basket in the paint to put New Orleans up 110-108 with just over three minutes remaining in the contest.

Shortly after, Gilgeous-Alexander tied the game at 112 before Ingram immediately knocked down a mid-range pull up to shift the lead back to the Pelicans. Down 114-113, SGA hit a remarkable mid-range shot over Jones to give the Thunder a one point lead with less than 30 seconds left in the game.

Off of an Ingram miss, Jaylin Williams grabbed the rebound before giving the ball to Giddey, who was fouled with 12 seconds remaining. The 6-foot-8 point guard hit both free throws, granting OKC a 117-114 lead heading into New Orleans' final timeout.

With Oklahoma City ahead by four, Ingram knocked down a quick 3-pointer to cut the away team's lead to one, but two free throws from Gilgeous-Alexander ended up being the dagger as the Thunder ended the Pelicans' season with a 123-118 victory.

After their thrilling victory, the Thunder will take on the Timberwolves in Minnesota at 8:30 P.M. CT on Friday, April 14.

Want to join the discussion? Like SI Thunder on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Thunder news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.