The New Orleans Pelicans fell to the Oklahoma City Thunder 119-109 on Saturday night, extending their skid to 16 losses in 18 games. A disastrous start set the tone as the Pelicans committed six turnovers in the opening six minutes, quickly falling behind 20-5.
Oklahoma City capitalized on New Orleans’ miscues, outscoring them 40-18 in the paint and building a commanding 77-51 halftime lead. Despite strong efforts from Dejounte Murray (26 points) and Herb Jones (24 points), the Pelicans couldn’t recover from their early struggles or overcome the absence of Brandon Ingram, who exited the game in the third quarter with a left ankle injury after scoring just five points.
The Pelicans showed some resilience in the second half, outscoring the Thunder 29-22 in the third quarter to cut the deficit to 19. They even clawed their way to within nine points late in the fourth, narrowing the margin to 114-105 with 3:31 remaining.
However, critical mistakes and a lack of defensive stops allowed OKC to pull away. New Orleans’ inability to control the ball was glaring, with 18 turnovers leading to easy Thunder baskets. The loss leaves the Pelicans searching for answers as they struggle to regain their footing in the Western Conference amid mounting injuries and inconsistency.
