Thunder hold off Pelicans to take Game 1

The Oklahoma City Thunder held off a late charge from the New Orleans Pelicans to take Game 1 94-92.

Pelicans guard CJ McCollum had a chance to win the contest but misfired on his 3-point attempt at the buzzer.

It's the first time in 11 years that all the home teams won Game 1 in the opening round, according to ESPN's Malika Andrews.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who was named an MVP finalist earlier Sunday, led the way for the Thunder with 28 points, six boards, and four assists.

Meanwhile, Trey Murphy and McCollum added 21 and 20 points, respectively, in a losing cause for the Pelicans.

New Orleans had a plus-13 advantage in second-chance points due in large part to Jonas Valanciunas' strong effort on the glass. The veteran center had 20 rebounds - including nine offensive boards - to go along with 13 points.

Oklahoma City made up for that deficiency by capitalizing on its transition opportunities, outscoring the Pelicans 20-7 in fast-break points.

Game 2 is Wednesday evening at 9:30 pm ET.