The New Orleans Pelicans get more comfortable at the bottom of the Western Conference with the 104-96 loss to the Golden State Warriors. This was seriously the worst game I've seen the Pelicans play all season. Some nights, we've seen this group lose because shots weren't falling, there was a lack of effort, or the skill difference between them and the opponent was too big. But tonight, it was a combination of all those things, which made for an extremely hard watch.
The first quarter ended with New Orleans leading 18-17. Yes, you read that right. In the year 2025, the first quarter of an NBA game ended with neither team reaching 20 points. And from there, it got even worse: both teams were doing nothing creative on offense, there was nearly zero ball movement, and there was a ton of standing around, leading to contested shots late in the shot clock.
The Pelicans shot 37.2 percent from the field and 23.3 percent from three, just straight-up embarrassing.
I understand that you were missing two starters in Trey Murphy III and Herb Jones tonight, but that isn't going to be an excuse to play as badly as the Pelicans did. Not to mention, Golden State also had a key player missing… Steph Curry.
The Warriors' net rating this season is -17.3, worse when Steph Curry is off the court than when he is on. But instead of exploiting this, the Pelicans let Gary Payton II come off the bench and tear apart their defense with 14 points.
If you're still on the side that the Pelicans don't need to make a trade or shake up this roster, I hope tonight changed your mind.
20 losses before five wins may be a reality for the Pelicans
This loss now has the Pelicans sitting at 3–17 on the season, and their next few games suggest there is a really good chance New Orleans loses 20 games before they win five. The Pels take on the Lakers tomorrow, then back-to-backs against the Timberwolves on Tuesday and Thursday, then the Nets on Saturday and the Spurs the following Monday.
That is an extremely tough five-game stretch, especially with them having to play the LeBron James and Luka Dončić–led Los Angeles Lakers tomorrow as part of a back-to-back.
I would say things are starting to get ugly for the Pelicans, but that would be a lie—things have been ugly for this organization from the start of this season. Being 3-17 doesn't just happen—it comes from poor roster construction, lackluster coaching decisions, and poor on-court execution.
At one point, there was optimism that if the Pelicans could stay afloat out West until Dejounte Murray made his return in the New Year, they could push for a playoff spot. Now, it's hard even to see a point in having Murray return this season.
Something's gotta shake—and shake soon, because losses like tonight are becoming less of a surprise and more of an expectation.