NBA highlights on April 21: Thunder beat Pelicans in a close game

The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 94-92 in Game 1 of the NBA Western Conference first-round playoffs at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on Sunday, leading 1-0 in the series.

The two teams exchanged 20 leads in this game. The Thunder led by 10 points (82-72) at most in the fourth quarter but went through a five-minute field goal (FG) drought in the same period. The Pelicans had great opportunities to lead in the final two minutes after the game reached a 90-90 draw. But despite making four shots within 28 seconds, they all failed to go into the hoop.

Sunday's contest was so close for good reason. Though it was between the West's No. 1, the Thunder, and the conference's No. 8, the Pelicans, the latter have multiple features that could make the former very uncomfortable. For example, the Pelicans have remarkable depth in the wingman position, with Herbert Jones, Brandon Ingram, Trey Murphy III and Naji Marshall. They are all big and quick enough to make Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA) sweat for every bucket.

Moreover, the Pelicans' two big men, Jonas Valanciunas and Larry Nance Jr., are both great offensive rebounders, posing a serious threat against the Thunder, who only have one reliable center, Chet Holmgren, whose body is slim. Nance Jr. is not known for his scoring ability, but Valanciunas can cause real damage to the Thunder in the paint with his size, power and offensive skills.

Of course, the Thunder have their advantage over the Pelicans as well. Though Holmgren slipped in 3-point shots after the All-Star break, he is still considered a spacing five who could attack Valanciunas' slow defensive movement. The Thunder also led the NBA in steals, blocks and forcing turnovers by the opponents per game during the regular season, which made them the sharpest fast break team in the league.

Both sides made good use of their edges on Sunday night. The Thunder led 20-7 in fast break points. Holmgren had a court-high five blocks, making key contributions to limiting the opponents' points in the paint to 36. The Pelicans grabbed 10 more offensive rebounds (18-8) than their opponents, and nine came from Valanciunas. Though SGA got a game-high 28 points, it took him as many as 24 shots to do so.

However, both the Thunder and the Pelicans failed to exploit some of their advantages. For example, the Thunder set up many open shots outside the 3-point line by exploiting Valanciunas' slow footwork, but they only made 10 of their 32 attempts from the outside. Ingram had a height advantage over most of the defenders he faced, but Luguentz Dort did a good job of slowing him down in penetration before Holmgren came to help.

As a result, neither side kept the upper hand for a long time in Sunday's game. Some of their role players performed surprisingly well since the aces drew most of their opponents' defensive attention. Murphy III drained five triples out of 12 attempts to get a team-high 20 points for the Pelicans. Jalen Williams matched SGA in points in the paint at a game-high 12 for the Thunder.

Nonetheless, at the end of the day, the superstar always decides the result of games in the playoffs. SGA was the hero for the Thunder on Sunday. The two teams held each other at 90-90 with less than a minute left in the fourth quarter. SGA made C.J. McCollum switch to guard him, one of the few occasions in the game when he faced a defender who was smaller than him. SGA broke in, did a floater in an unorthodox way and drew a foul. He made the free throw, too, completing a significant play for the Thunder to win in the end.

Game 2 of the series will return to Paycom Center on April 24.

Other games on Sunday (away teams come first):

Miami Heat 94-114 Boston Celtics

The Celtics refused to cede the win in Game 1 of the NBA Eastern Conference first-round playoffs against the Heat at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. In response to the opponents' defensive policy of closing in to prioritize protecting the paint, the Celtics knocked down 22 shots from downtown out of 49 attempts.

Jayson Tatum despite not sharing his teammates' superb shooting touch outside the 3-point line, missing seven of his eight triples, dropped the first triple-double of his career in the post season by getting 23 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for the Celtics. He also earned more free throws (eight) than anyone else in the game and made all of them.

Game 2 of the series will still take place at TD Garden on April 24.

Dallas Mavericks 97-109 Los Angeles Clippers

The Clippers ruled Kawhi Leonard out with a knee inflammation for Game 1 against the Mavericks at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, on Sunday. But James Harden made sure that the team didn't lack. He scored 28 points and eight assists for the home team, including 20 in the first half.

One job Harden did that was probably more important than scoring was helping Ivica Zubac find his place on the court. Zubac contributed a double-double of 20 points and 15 rebounds. When he was able to continuously make shots, he was motivated to work harder on the defense end. That turned out to be a key factor because Zubac played an important role of containing Luka Doncic by double-teaming him with teammates in the high post.

Despite Doncic's 33 points, 13 rebounds and six assists, he missed all five of his shots in the second period during which the Mavericks had only eight points, fewer than what Zubac scored himself (10). His team trailed by over 20 points in the first half and never managed to come back.

Game 2 of the series will return to the Crypto.com Arena on April 23.

Indiana Pacers 94-109 Milwaukee Bucks

The Bucks lacked their best player, Giannis Antetokounmpo, in Game 1 of the East's first-round playoffs against the Pacers at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Sunday due to a left soleus (calf) muscle strain. Damian Lillard carried the Bucks' offense in the first half with 35 points from six triples out of 10 attempts. Though he mysteriously failed to add even one point in the second half, Khris Middleton took over the load from him with 15 points, ensuring the Bucks didn't blow a 30-point lead.

Game 2 of the series will return to Fiserv Forum on April 23.