Injury Report, Updated Odds (4/21): Oklahoma City Thunder vs. New Orleans Pelicans

The Thunder is kicking off the playoffs in Oklahoma City hosting the New Orleans Pelicans.

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

Playoff basketball is back in Oklahoma City. The Thunder is hosting the New Orleans Pelicans in a seven-game series as the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. After winning 57 games in the regular season, the Thunder is met with a clean slate, and a new season is essentially here.

The Pelicans, fresh off two Play-In Tournament contests this past week, are going to give the Thunder a handful in this series, as the two teams pose a unique matchup. The pace of play and making up for the rebounding margin is going to be two keys for the Thunder in this series.

With Game 1 being in Oklahoma City, the Thunder has the potential to set the tone for the series tonight.

Injury Report

Thunder:

No injuries to report.

Pelicans:

Zion Williamson, OUT (Hamstring)

Cody Zeller, Available (Face)

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Zion Williamson's injury during the Play-In Tournament was big news. He could very well miss the first half of this series or beyond. The physicality and strength he plays with -- and how that could impact the Thunder -- is a big blow for the Pelicans.

New Orleans has plenty of depth, but missing their best player is a huge, huge blow.

Oklahoma City is fully healthy -- which was a trend for the majority of the season. The end of the season was a bit rockier, but it was the only stint the Thunder really had to deal with injuries.

Updated Odds

In Williamson's absence, the Thunder -- on their home floor -- is an 8.5-point favorite. A double-digit victory in Game 1 of the series would be a huge statement by the Thunder, especially considering the discourse around them being the "weakest" No. 1 seed in history.

The oddsmakers favoring the Thunder this much is a bit surprising, and it'll be interesting to see if the Thunder is able to take care of business to kick off the series.

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