Thunder at Pelicans
The Oklahoma City Thunder will try to lock up the No. 2 seed for the Western Conference playoffs when they visit the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday. The Thunder came up short Sunday at the Indiana Pacers and may be shorthanded against the Pelicans after backup point guard Reggie Jackson had precautionary X-rays on his neck after bouncing off a screen against the Pacers. Jackson has been doing a superb job as a backup and spot-starter for Russell Westbrook on back-to-backs.
The Thunder won’t have to deal with the best player on New Orleans for a third straight time this season. Anthony Davis has been shut down for the rest of the season because of a sore back and the Pelicans seem to have shut down as well, coming in riding an eight-game losing streak that matches their longest of the season. The Pelicans lost to the Thunder by 22 points on Friday in Oklahoma City and by 14 in their other meeting back in December in New Orleans, when Davis was out with a broken hand.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, FSN New Orleans, FSN Oklahoma (Oklahoma City)
ABOUT THE THUNDER (58-22): Kevin Durant continues to struggle from 3-point range and that is certainly a concern with the playoffs less than a week away. He went 2-for-11 from beyond the arc in the loss to the Pacers and is shooting 24 percent from long range in seven games this month. He attempted just two 3-pointers against the Pelicans on Friday, missing both, and went 2-for-5 from beyond the arc in a 109-95 win at New Orleans on Dec. 12.
ABOUT THE PELICANS (32-48): New Orleans seems intent on using the last few games to take a look at some of its younger players. Darius Miller, a second-year small forward out of Kentucky, has played at least 30 minutes the last three games after hitting that mark just once before this season. He scored a career-high 18 points in Friday’s loss to Oklahoma City, but the Pelicans would probably like to see him more active on the defensive end as he has gone the last two games without a rebound.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Thunder G Thabo Sefolosha is averaging 1.8 points in the four games since returning from a strained calf that kept him out for 16 games.
2. Of the 22 losses by the Thunder this season, 18 have come when they shot under 50 percent from the floor.
3. Pelicans G Tyreke Evans (knee bone bruise) was available to play against the Rockets on Saturday night but the coaching staff opted to keep him out.