Pelicans problems continue against Thunder, Brandon Ingram injured | Pelicans

The team with the worst record in the Western Conference met the team with the best record in the conference Saturday night at the Smoothie King Center.

For those who don’t know, it didn’t take long to figure out which was which.

The New Orleans Pelicans fell into a deep hole early but found some life late, making this 119-109 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder look respectable.

“We were really slow at the start of the game,” Pelicans coach Willie Green said. “It ignited their team and now it’s a tough battle against one of the better teams in the Western Conference and one of the better teams in the NBA. We can’t put ourselves in a hole like that.”

To make matters worse, Brandon Ingram left the game in the first minute of the second half with a left ankle injury. It was Ingram’s second game back, having missed the previous five with a calf injury.

“It is extremely difficult to see a decline in BI,” Green said. “Once again adversity. He had a really good game and some good training sessions before his second leg (Thursday). Seeing a game like that is just a tough break for us.”

The same Thunder team that defeated the Pelicans in the first round of the playoffs last season continued to dominate New Orleans.

The Pelicans (5-19) entered the game having lost seven of the last eight times against the Thunder. That includes last season’s playoff win, the play-in tournament two seasons ago and a 106-88 loss in Oklahoma City in mid-November.

The Pelicans had also lost six straight games to the Thunder at the Smoothie King Center, including the postseason. Now make seven.

Not even the addition of Dejounte Murray, Herb Jones and CJ McCollum — the trio that missed the game in November — was enough to help the Pels end their slide against one of the league’s best defenses.

OKC (18-5) has the best defensive rating in the NBA. They have stopped opponents from shooting from the floor at just 42.3% this season, leading the league. The Thunder’s 12 steals per game are also the best in the league.

“The most important thing is you have to take care of the basketball,” Green said before the game. “They swap teams and that increases their chances of getting on the counterattack. They’re a good defensive team, so we have to be solid in basketball.”

The Pelicans committed six turnovers in the first six minutes and trailed 10-0 and then 20-5. The Pels trailed 77-51 at halftime and were down 30 points at one point. The 77 points are the most points the Pelicans have given up in a half this season.

Ingram’s injury occurred 17 seconds into the second half when he landed awkwardly and had to be helped to the locker room by teammates Yves Missi and Trey Jemison.

“It’s tough,” said Murray, who finished with 26 points. “I know how much he loves the game and how hard he works. His smile brings joy every day and brightens every room he enters. It’s tough, but I know he’s a fighter.”

OKC guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who ranks fourth in the league with 29.8 points per game, was at half his average at the end of the first quarter. He scored 16 of his 31 points in the first quarter, with 12 of those points coming on layups as he effortlessly got to the basket.

The Pels came within nine points (114-105) with 3:55 left.

Jones scored 24 points for the Pelicans, who will play at the San Antonio Spurs for the second straight night on Sunday.

“In the second half we decided we were going to come out and compete,” Green said. “We really are. We have to last 48 minutes, not a half.”