Murphy, Pelicans square off against the Thunder

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New Orleans Pelicans (12-36, 15th in the Western Conference) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (37-10, first in the Western Conference)

Oklahoma City; Tuesday, 8 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Western Conference foes Oklahoma City and New Orleans square off on Tuesday.

The Thunder are 28-6 against conference opponents. Oklahoma City ranks seventh in the Western Conference with 25.4 assists per game led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander averaging 6.2.

The Pelicans are 6-25 in Western Conference play. New Orleans is 2-3 in games decided by less than 4 points.

The Thunder are shooting 49.2% from the field this season, 0.8 percentage points higher than the 48.4% the Pelicans allow to opponents. The Pelicans average 6.9 more points per game (114.8) than the Thunder allow their opponents to score (107.9).

The teams square off for the third time this season. The Thunder won 126-109 in the last matchup on Nov. 18. Chet Holmgren led the Thunder with 26 points, and Jeremiah Fears led the Pelicans with 24 points.

TOP PERFORMERS: Holmgren is shooting 57.1% and averaging 17.8 points for the Thunder. Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 30.9 points over the last 10 games.

Trey Murphy III is scoring 22.2 points per game with 6.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists for the Pelicans. Zion Williamson is averaging 21.1 points and 6.5 rebounds while shooting 63.0% over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Thunder: 7-3, averaging 119.3 points, 42.4 rebounds, 24.2 assists, 8.6 steals and 7.5 blocks per game while shooting 49.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 109.0 points per game.

Pelicans: 4-6, averaging 114.8 points, 45.5 rebounds, 24.8 assists, 8.8 steals and 5.7 blocks per game while shooting 47.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 116.7 points.

INJURIES: Thunder: Ajay Mitchell: out (hip), Nikola Topic: out (groin), Jalen Williams: out (thigh), Alex Caruso: out (adductor), Thomas Sorber: out for season (knee), Isaiah Hartenstein: out (calf).

Pelicans: Dejounte Murray: out (leg).

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.