Oklahoma Thunder Overpower The New Orleans Pelicans Without Zion Williamson In The Lineup

New Orleans were overpowered and out of sync as they lost to OKC in an important Western Conference match.

Oklahoma overpowered New Orleans to a 107-83 victory without Zion Williamson in the starting lineup. Williamson missed tonight's game due to a bone contusion in his left foot.    

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points, while Chet Holmgren dominated inside with a double-double of 20 points and 15 rebounds. OKC outscored New Orleans 58-39 in the paint. The visitors had an efficient game by converting 47.7% from the floor, 30.3% from beyond the arc, and 92.9% from the charity stripe.

Jan 26, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) \shoots a jump shot against New Orleans Pelicans guard Trey Murphy III (25) during the first half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

"Our offense really hurt us," Coach Willie Green said in his postgame remarks. "I talked to the guys about it, they know. That's one of the main concepts that this team does really well, is they turn you over. And if you turn the ball over 20 times, it's hard to make up for that...especially when we're down Z [Zion Williamson] tonight. But more importantly, give them credit."

The Pelicans were in tune against the Jazz in their last game but were wildly out of sync versus the Thunder in scoring and protecting the ball. New Orleans' offense was 39% from the floor, hitting 9 of 36 treys in the evening. Herb Jones and Jonas Valanciunas were the Pelicans' high scorers at 14 points each. Unfortunately, the home team committed 20 turnovers, leading to 22 points for OKC.

"The way we played two games ago was different," CJ McCollum told the media. "Zion [Williamson] had the ball out and pushed the tempo. We played through him a lot, but he doesn't play tonight. It is just a different game, and we need to be better."

New Orleans and Oklahoma even the season series at one game apiece.  The Pelicans are now 26-19 and just 14-11 at home before hitting the road to face Milwaukee, Boston, and Houston in their next three contests.