Want to know how bad things were Monday night for the New Orleans Pelicans?
Well, here’s a stat that will tell you all you need to know.
Zion Williamson, CJ McCollum, Jordan Hawkins, Jose Alvarado and Bruce Brown combined to take 18 shots in the first quarter.
They missed all of them.
And just like that, this game got away from the Pelicans early on their way to an embarrassing 127-81 loss to the Detroit Pistons.
The 46-point loss tied the record for worst loss in team history, equalling the 130-84 defeat to the Dallas Mavericks in the 2019-20 season. This was the worst loss ever on the Smoothie King Center. The 81 points was the fewest points scored this season, surpassing the previous low of 85 in a loss in December to the New York Knicks.
It was Pels’ second-straight lackluster performance in the Smoothie King Center, following last Thursday’s beatdown at the hands of the Orlando Magic.
Pelicans coach Willie Green called his team “soft” after that loss. Monday night’s loss surely didn’t do anything to change his mind about that assessment.
The Pelicans trailed 35-12 at the end of the first quarter, earning boos from the crowd.
The hole got even deeper by halftime as the Pistons built a commanding 63-32 lead.
The Pelicans made just 10 of 37 shots in the first half (21.3%). Kelly Olynyk’s 3-pointer in the first 90 seconds of the game is the only one they made in the first half. They were 1 of 16 from beyond the arc in the first two quarters. Alvarado was 0-for-7 on 3s in the half. He ended his drought and the Pelicans' 3-point drought midway through the third quarter.
For the game, the Pelicans shot 32.6 % from the floor, and made just 5 of 32 3-pointers.
Making matters even worse is Trey Murphy left the game in the first minute with a right shoulder injury. Murphy hurt his shoulder chasing a loose ball and went to the locker room with 11:11 left in the opening quarter.
It was all downhill from there.
The Pelicans (18-51) came into the game having won their past seven games against the Pistons (38-31). Before Monday, the Pistons hadn’t lost to Detroit since Valentine’s Day of 2021.
Green, born and raised in Detroit, lost for the first time against the team he grew up watching. He’s now 6-1 against them.
Zion Williamson, who missed Saturday’s game against the Spurs for personal reasons, returned to the lineup. So did rookie Yves Missi, who had missed the previous two games with an ankle injury, also returned. None of it really mattered.
Williamson scored a team-high 30 points, including 22 in the second half.
Missi recorded his 11th double-double, finishing with 12 points and 10 rebounds. McCollum shot 1 of 15 from the floor, 0 for 7 on 3-pointers and 1 of 5 from the free-throw line.
The Pelicans have now lost five games by 30 or more points this season.
The Pelicans begin a three-game road trip, with two games against the Minnesota Timberwolves Wednesday and Friday and a rematch against Detroit on Sunday.