The bad news for the New Orleans Pelicans as they head into Friday's Summer League finale is that they still haven't won a game.
The good news is they finally got a chance to see first round draft pick Jeremiah Fears have the type of game he knew he was capable of.
Fears did a better job shooting and distributing the ball in the 95-81 loss to the undefeated Oklahoma City Thunder Wednesday night in Las Vegas.
The Pelicans’ No. 7 overall draft pick finished with 22 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists.
"I'm just trying to learn something from every game and carry it on from game to game," Fears said. "Just trying to keep getting better every game."
Fears had his best game as a playmaker with his 6 assists. He had just three total assists in the first three games.
"It's just learning when to pick your spots," Fears said. "When to take your shot and when to get your teammates involved. Getting your teammates involved early is going to hep you and the team as well."
Fears had 4 turnovers Wednesday, down from the 6 he had the night before in a loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. Fears shot 8 for 15 against the Thunder, who improved to 4-0 in Summer League play.
"He’s getting better each game," said Pelicans' Summer League coach Corey Brewer. "He’s learning. He’s got to learn to handle pressure better. It’s the little things. He’s going to get better and better. This summer, he can look at this film and see what he needs to work on."
Fears wasn't the only one who had his best game.
Trey Alexander led all Pelicans with 25 points.
"I was just being out there and providing minutes and being able to play defense and then knocking down the open shots." Alexander said. "And just being aggressive, playing my game."
Alexander, signed to a 2-way contract, came off the bench and knocked down 5 of his 9 3-pointers. Coming off the bench is somewhat new to Alexander, the G League Rookie of the Year this past season playing in the Denver Nuggets' organization.
"For me in the G League, I had never really come off the bench," Alexander said. "So I was just trying to find my niche anyway I could to provide good minutes."
The Pelicans didn’t play rookies Derik Queen and Micah Peavy or second-year center Yves Missi.
Hunter Dickinson, who started in place of Missi, scored 8 points, grabbed 7 rebounds, dished out 3 assists and blocked 3 shots.
Former LSU center Will Baker got his first action for the Pelicans and scored 2 points on a pair of free throws. Former McNeese State standout Christian Shumate led the Pelicans on the boards with 10 rebounds and 6 points.
The Pelicans (0-4) will get one more chance to win a game Friday when they play the Indiana Pacers. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. central time. The Pels haven’t won a Summer League game since 2023. They’ve lost their last 10 games in Vegas.