How Sweep It Is: OKC Thunder Reach 2nd Round For First Time Since 2016

The Oklahoma City Thunder knocked off the New Orleans Pelicans in Game 4 to sweep the Pelicans in round one of the NBA Playoffs.

Apr 29, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) / Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

Any NBA player will preach that closeout games are the toughest. The whistles get wild, the crowd gets crazy and the foe is fighting for their life. That was the story of Game 4 in New Orleans. 

With the Oklahoma City Thunder owning a 3-0 lead over the Pelicans, the Bourbon Street boys came out firing.

The Smoothie King Center crowd was more alive than they had been this season, and the energy on the court was there too. The Pelicans flocked to the ball and made life tough on Oklahoma City.

A few no-calls, a few open missed looks and sloppy segments from the Thunder quickly turned this game into a dogfight with OKC owning a one-point lead at halftime. 

The lone source of consistent offense for Oklahoma City in the first half was from sophomore sensation Jalen Williams. The No. 12 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft poured in 13 first-half points to couple with five rebounds and two steals before intermission. 

The Santa Clara product finished with 24 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals. 

New Orleans came out on fire to start the second half, roaring their way to a lead as the two teams rode the seesaw the entire frame. 

After a nip and tuck third quarter, the Pelicans led by a one-point margin heading into a do-or-die final frame. 

A 12-3 run that spanned the end of the third quarter and start of the fourth period lifted the Pelicans to a five point cushion - their largest of the night. 

Though, an apperance from New Orlean’s Josh Giddey hitting two triples in short order tied the game at 80 all with under eight minutes to play. 

Giddey continued to impress raining triples and helping the Thunder generate stops defensively. 

With some timely shot making under the wire, OKC grew their first double-digit cushion with under four minutes to go in the clash. 

The Bricktown boys nursed that lead for the rest of the night, securing their first playoff series since Kevin Durant wore Thunder Blue. 

As Oklahoma City pulls off just their second sweep in franchise history, they await the winner of the Dallas Mavericks against L.A. Clippers first round series. 

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