Derik Queen recorded his second straight double double, but it wasn’t enough as the New Orleans Pelicans lost again Saturday night n Summer League play.
Queen finished with 12 points and 13 rebounds in the Pelicans’ 94-81 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.
The 13th overall pick vowed that he would play better in his second game after struggling in the first half of his Thursday night debut against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
“I have to redeem myself for me and all the outside noise,” Queen said after Thursday’s game.
And he did with a more consistent effort.
He also had an assist, a steal and a blocked shot.
But he also was just 4 of 12 from the floor.
Fellow rookie Jeremiah Fears struggled shooting, too. Fears shot just 5 for 21, including 1 for 7 on 3-pointers. Fears missed 10 of his first 11 shots before finally getting on track in the third quarter when he scored seven of his 15 points.
Pelicans' Trey Murphy, Dejounte Murray, Jose Alvarado, Jordan Poole, Saddiq Bey and Kevon Looney all sat together courtside watching their teammates.
Antonio Reeves led all Pelicans with 20 points to go with his 6 rebounds and 3 steals.
One of the more telling stats was this one. The Pelicans finished with just 6 assists in the game. All six of those assists came in the first half.
Despite those numbers, the Pelicans trailed 72-69 with 5:16 left on a 3-point play by Reeves. But then the Pels went three minutes without a basket and trailed 84-71 by the time Reeves ended the scoring drought with another basket.
Micah Peavy, the Pelicans second-round draft pick, didn’t suit up for the game due to an ankle injury in Thursday’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. X-rays were negative, according to a report by The Athletic.
Lester Quinones, the Pels' leading scorer in their first game, replaced Peavy in the starting lineup. Quinones and Keion Brooks scored 9 points each Saturday. Quinones has made 8 of his 14 3-pointers through his first two Summer League games.
Yves Missi finished with 7 points, 11 rebounds and 3 blocked shots.
The Pelicans,0-2 in Summer League play, play their third game Tuesday against the Portland Trail Blazers. Tip-off is set for 9 p.m. central time.