The Oklahoma City Thunder (13-1) visit the New Orleans Pelicans (2-11) tonight at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans.

These teams are moving in completely opposite directions. The Thunder have won five straight and would be undefeated if not for a narrow two-point loss to the Portland Trail Blazers earlier this month. Their dominance has been staggering: their last eight wins have all come by double digits, including three blowouts of 29 points or more. They even held Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers to just 92 points.

Oklahoma City owns a top-five offense, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander having another MVP-caliber year, averaging 32.6 points per game, along with 7.0 assists. But it’s their suffocating defense — allowing just 106.2 points per game — that creates these massive margins.

New Orleans enters averaging just 108.2 points per game and has dropped five straight. Their earlier meeting with the Thunder ended in a 137–106 loss, and that was with Zion Williamson on the floor. Zion is out tonight, meaning Trey Murphy III will shoulder the scoring load.

Rookie Derik Queen, who had a 26-point outing against Portland earlier this month, now faces one of the toughest defenses in the league — a valuable but harsh learning curve.

Prediction

Oklahoma City’s elite form, depth, and defensive advantage should make this another one-sided matchup.

Prediction: Thunder 135, Pelicans 103

Injury Report

Oklahoma City Thunder

Kenrich Williams — Out (Nov 19)

Jalen Williams — Out (Nov 19)

Aaron Wiggins — Out (Nov 19)

Nikola Topic — Out (Feb 20)

Thomas Sorber — Ofs (Oct 1)

New Orleans Pelicans

Saddiq Bey — Gtd (Nov 17)

Zion Williamson — Gtd (Nov 17)

Jordan Poole — Out (Nov 21)

Dejounte Murray — Out (Jan 2)

How to Watch Thunder vs. Pelicans

Tip-off for tonight’s Oklahoma City Thunder vs. New Orleans Pelicans game is set for 8:00 PM Eastern / 7:00 PM Central at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. 

The game airs live on the Gulf Coast Sports Network and FanDuel Sports Network Oklahoma.

Fans in the OKC broadcast market without a FanDuel Sports Network subscription can purchase one on Amazon here.

Out-of-market viewers can stream the matchup on NBA League Pass for free on Amazon Prime Video with a 7-day free trial here.

Amazon also offers a discounted subscription that starts at $12.74 for the first two months (then $16.99/month). The subscription also includes access to NBA TV.

Fans can also choose a Team Pass to follow one team’s games for $13.99 per month.

Oklahoma City Thunder vs. New Orleans Pelicans

Date: Monday, November 17, 2025

Time: 8:00 PM Eastern / 7:00 PM Central

Venue: Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, Louisiana

TV: Gulf Coast Sports Network, FanDuel Sports Network Oklahoma

Streaming: NBA League Pass (out-of-market)