Josh Giddey has played just 24.9 minutes per game this year, a significant dropoff from his 31.3 minutes per game last year.The Oklahoma City Thunder are expected to see a decline in plays today from facing the 6th-most lethargic pace-of-play offense in the NBA over the last 15 games (the Pelicans).Offensive rebounds preserve possession and create further chances for scoring and assists, but the Thunder grade out 2ndworst in in the league with a mere 8.6 offensive boards per game this year.This year when they are the visiting squad, opposing clubs have collected 11.6 offensive boards per game (5th-most in the league) against the Pelicans (maintaining possessions that can create extra opportunities for offense).Josh Giddey will not enjoy the home court advantage in this contest. Playing without the home court advantage tends to decrease player performance for all stats.
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