OKLAHOMA CITY – Now in his 14th season overall as an NBA head coach, New Orleans’ Alvin Gentry is accustomed to hostile environments on the road, but if the crowd at Chesapeake Energy Arena gets angry with Gentry on Sunday, it may be for an unique reason.
“I’ll probably get booed like crazy in Oklahoma if (rookie Buddy Hield) doesn’t get to play very much,” Gentry good-naturedly said after Saturday’s Pelicans practice.
The first meeting of 2016-17 between the Pelicans and the Thunder (6 p.m., Fox Sports New Orleans, WRNO 99.5 FM) marks the initial return to the Sooner State for Hield since he completed his decorated NCAA career at the nearby University of Oklahoma.