OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. –

With two starters sidelined and multiple rotation players injured, the Thunder enter Tuesday night’s home matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans navigating adversity that many teams face during the grind of an NBA season. For head coach Mark Daigneault, it’s not something to fear, it’s something to attack.

“There’s a lot of headwinds in the NBA… scheduling, injuries, refereeing, shot variance, and everybody deals with it at different times to various degrees,” Daigneault said.

“It just becomes about your ability to see those things as a challenge and attack them. If you do that, then you’ll emerge from that mentally tougher and more connected as a team.”The Thunder come into the game having dropped back-to-back contests and three of their last five, but the mindset inside the locker room remains steady.

Injuries

Oklahoma City continues to navigate a long injury list that’s forced constant adjustments:

Jalen Williams — out (hamstring)Isaiah Hartenstein — out (calf)Alex Caruso — out (adductor strain)Ajay Mitchell — out (abdominal strain)Cason Wallace — questionable (hip soreness)

Despite the absences, the Thunder are still at the top of the Western Conference (37-10) and leaning are into the stretch as part of their development.

Daigneault pointed to the condensed schedule and January grind as part of what every team must survive.

“Nobody looks at the schedule and says, ‘This is a light one,’” he said. “It puts a premium on recovery, staying healthy and fresh, and then just attacking it as a challenge.”

Wiggins: “January is about mental toughness”

Aaron Wiggins echoed that mindset, pointing to January as a defining stretch for teams.

“January is a time for us to get better and a time to challenge our mental toughness,” Wiggins said. “We’ve got a group of guys who understand that. We’re trying to take advantage of these days in between and make sure we’re ready when the game is.”After close losses, the Thunder aren’t focused on the moment — they’re focused on the long view.

“There’s 50 games left,” Wiggins said. “You can’t get caught up in a small sample size. There’s a lot of time to grow, learn, and get better. We can’t take last night’s loss into tomorrow.”

Pelicans arrive with momentum

While OKC is fighting through injuries, New Orleans comes to Paycom Center with confidence. The Pelicans have won back-to-back games, including a 104–95 road win over San Antonio.

Reserve center Yves Missi has been a key piece, tying a season high with 14 rebounds against the Spurs and delivering big plays late. With the Thunder limited inside without Hartenstein, his presence could again be a factor.

New Orleans leads the NBA in points in the paint (58.2 per game), driven by Zion Williamson, who ranks second in the league with 16.1 paint points per game. Oklahoma City, meanwhile, allows an NBA-low 40.4 points in the paint, setting up a strength-on-strength matchup.

The Thunder have dominated this series in recent years:

12 straight wins over New OrleansFour-game playoff sweep in 2024Last six wins by an average margin of 21+ points

Where to Watch

Date: Tuesday, Jan. 27
Time: 7 p.m. CST
Where: Paycom Center — Oklahoma City
TV: FanDuel Sports Network