New Orleans completes its comeback with a 26–17 fourth quarter
The New Orleans Pelicans recovered from a 24-point deficit to defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder 116–110 in a preseason game at the BOK Center in Tulsa on October 6. Bennedict Mathurin led New Orleans with 13 points as the Pelicans' reserves helped reverse a game Oklahoma City had controlled before halftime. For Philippine readers, the final came on October 7.
Oklahoma City led 34–28 after the first quarter and expanded that advantage to 67–52 at the break. New Orleans responded with a 38-point third quarter, cutting the deficit to 93–90. The Pelicans then outscored the Thunder 26–17 in the final period, completing a second half they won 64–43.
The comeback did not depend on one high-scoring individual. New Orleans received 75 points from its bench, compared with 51 for Oklahoma City. Mathurin made three of five shots, including two three-pointers, and converted all five free throws. He also supplied five assists in 16 minutes and 36 seconds.
Jeremiah Fears scored 12 points off the bench, while Derik Queen added 10 points, nine rebounds and three steals. Jordan Poole contributed nine points. Queen's rebounding and the spread of scoring gave New Orleans production across several units as the game moved beyond its opening rotation.
Zion Williamson scored 11 points in 16 minutes and 14 seconds, making four of six field-goal attempts, including a three-pointer. Trey Murphy III also finished with 11. Dejounte Murray recorded six points, four rebounds and six assists, and Yves Missi collected seven rebounds alongside six points. Those were short preseason appearances, rather than regular-season workloads.
Free throws were a major difference. New Orleans made 34 of 47 attempts, while Oklahoma City went 14 for 21. The resulting 20-point advantage at the line helped the Pelicans overcome a lower field-goal percentage. They shot 40.2 percent overall, compared with the Thunder's 52.6 percent, and made 12 threes to Oklahoma City's 16.
New Orleans also converted turnovers into 26 points, compared with nine for the Thunder. That extra scoring source mattered against an opponent shooting 48.5 percent from three-point range. Oklahoma City's early efficiency was not enough to protect its lead once its scoring fell to 17 points in the fourth quarter.
Bennett Stirtz led Oklahoma City with 15 points, six assists and five rebounds in 30 minutes and 45 seconds. Aday Mara made all five of his field-goal attempts on the way to 12 points, nine rebounds and three blocks. Jared McCain and Brooks Barnhizer also scored 12 each, while Ajay Mitchell and Josh Dix added 11 apiece.
The Thunder's available lineup was significant context. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams were among the players listed inactive by coach's decision, so the result was not a test of Oklahoma City's full regular-season rotation. For New Orleans, the tangible result was a successful second-half recovery built on reserve scoring, free throws and points generated from turnovers.