By Rell Wright, Pelican Contributor

The New Orleans Pelicans fell to the Phoenix Suns 125-108 on Friday night, unable to replicate their Thursday success without Zion Williamson and CJ McCollum in the lineup. Bol Bol was the driving force for the Suns, pouring in 25 points, just one shy of his career high, as Phoenix snapped a three-game skid.

The absence of Williamson, fresh off his first career triple-double, and McCollum, who had been recovering from earlier injuries, left the Pelicans relying heavily on rookie Yves Missi and Jordan Hawkins, who both tallied 24 points.

Despite a valiant 38-point effort in the fourth quarter, New Orleans struggled to recover from a sluggish start, trailing by 22 after the first quarter and ultimately surrendering 15 turnovers—a far cry from their season-low six in the prior game.

Phoenix capitalized early, with Bol Bol igniting a quick 20-point outburst that set the tone for the game. Nick Richards added 19 points and a dominant 12 rebounds for the Suns, while Royce O’Neal and Kevin Durant chipped in 18 and 17 points, respectively.

Devin Booker orchestrated the offense with 17 points and nine assists, keeping the Pelicans’ defense off balance. Although Kelly Olynyk and Bruce Brown returned to the lineup for New Orleans, their contributions (21 combined points) couldn’t bridge the gap left by Zion and CJ. With this loss, the Pelicans drop to 16-44 and look to regroup as they head to Utah to face the Jazz on Sunday.