Thunder Edge Past Pelicans in Play-In Upset; OKC to Face Wolves for No. 8 Seed

• The Oklahoma City Thunder beat the New Orleans Pelicans in their Play-In game
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey starred in the OKC Thunder’s victory
• The Thunder head to Minnesota to face the Wolves for the No. 8 seed in the West

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander took over late to send the Thunder to Minnesota for a chance at the final playoff spot.

He scored six points in the final 29 seconds to carry Oklahoma City to a 123-118 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night.

Oklahoma City will face the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night for the eighth playoff seed in the Western Conference.

SGA and Giddey power OKC

Gilgeous-Alexander was unstoppable for the Thunder in this contest, scoring 32 points against the Pelicans, per ESPN.

Milwaukee Bucks clinch top seed in East with win over Chicago Bulls

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He was clutch down the stretch, draining a go-ahead baseline jumper and four free throws to seal the win for Oklahoma City. 

Gilgeous-Alexander got help from his teammates as three other starters scored in double figures.

Josh Giddey nearly registered a triple-double, finishing with 31 points, 10 assists, and nine rebounds for the Thunder. He shot 11 of 22 from the field, including 3 of 7 from beyond the arc.

Lu Dort and Jalen Williams also contributed, scoring 27 and 11 points, respectively. 

Bulls, Thunder record shock wins

Gilgeous-Alexander and Giddey got hot in the third quarter, combining for 29 points to help Oklahoma City build a 96-87 lead. New Orleans quickly responded, starting the fourth quarter with a 9-2 run to cut the Thunder’s lead to two points.

The elimination game was a see-saw affair, with both teams trading leads in the final eight minutes. The Thunder held off the Pelicans to become the second 10th-seed team to win a Play-In game in the tournament's history.

Malcolm Brogdon stars in Boston’s win over Toronto Raptors as Celtics clinch second seed in East

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The Chicago Bulls pulled off that feat just hours earlier, erasing a 19-point deficit to defeat the Toronto Raptors.

What made this accomplishment so incredible for the Thunder is that they did it with a squad that is the second-youngest team in the NBA.

LaVine, Bulls stun Raptors

Sports Brief recently reported on the Bulls’ win over the Raptors by a 109 to 105,

Zach LaVine scored 30 of his 39 points in the second half to lead Chicago to a slim winthrilling 109-105 victory.

Chicago next faces the Miami Heat on Friday with the winner claiming eighth in the East.