Despite leading by as much as 16 points in the first half, the Oklahoma City Thunder nearly found themselves on the wrong end of a furious comeback attempt by the New Orleans Pelicans Saturday night at Chesapeake Energy Arena.
The Thunder held off Brandon Ingram’s team despite his 26-point, 8 board performance with some clutch late shots by reserve guard Dennis Schroeder, who scored a team-high 25 points and 7 assists.
A timely bucket in the fourth quarter by veteran floor general Chris Paul was also key in stopping the Pelicans’ assault, who otherwise had an unremarkable night with 7 points, 6 boards and 5 assists.
After the Thunder jumped out to an early lead, the Pelicans clawed their way into the tilt in the third frame, outscoring Oklahoma City 31-17 over the penultimate quarter in what seems to be a recurring issue for the team.
A late run in the final frame sparked by back-to-back buckets by the German point guard put the Thunder back on top, sealing the deal with a dunk by center Steven Adams in the game’s final seconds, logging 14 points and 12 boards on the evening.
Forward Danilo Gallinari put up 17 points and 7 boards and wing Abdel Nader had 19 points off the bench for the Thunder in Hamidou Diallo’s absence, and veteran shooting guard J.J. Redick contributed 16 points and 5 boards for the Pelicans’ losing effort.
The Thunder now stand at 7-11 on the season, and next face New Orleans in a potential revenge match at Smoothie King Arena tomorrow night, Sunday, Dec. 1.
