Charles Barkley rips Zion Williamson-led Pelicans for "embarrassing" loss against Steph Curry-less Warriors

Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram led the New Orleans Pelicans to a commanding 31-14 advantage after the first quarter of their game against the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday. Those first 12 minutes proved to be the best stretch for the Pelicans in the game, as things went downhill for them the rest of the way. Without Steph Curry, De’Anthony Melton and Andrew Wiggins, the Dubs outscored their visitors by 35 over the next 36 minutes for a 124-106 win.

After the game, TNT’s Charles Barkley called the Pelicans’ loss "embarrassing."

“I’m not gonna overreact. That was embarrassing by the Pelicans. … There’s no Dejounte Murray and Trey Murphy. Man, they got Brandon Ingram, Zion Williamson and CJ McCollum," Barkley said.

"They got their most important three players. To have a 20-point lead and lose by 20, that was embarrassing.”

The Warriors’ starters struggled to open the game but Steve Kerr’s bench stepped up to make the game more competitive. Lindy Waters III, Gary Payton II and Jonathan Kuminga made key plays on both ends of the floor to bounce back from a sluggish start. Starters Brandin Podziemski and Draymond Green then found life and helped the Warriors in their strong second half.

Golden State’s defense clamped down on Willie Green’s team, but the Pelicans also hindered themselves with turnovers. New Orleans had 24 turnovers, while their opponents only had eight. The Warriors scored 34 points off those miscues. Zion Williamson had seven turnovers, nearly tying the entire Dubs team.

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Zion Williamson committed costly turnovers in the fourth quarter

The New Orleans Pelicans entered the fourth quarter trailing 87-79. Zion Williamson led the comeback to start the period with four straight points. The 2019 No. 1 pick, however, lost the ball twice and committed an offensive foul in the Pelicans’ next three possessions.

Pelicans coach Willie Green substituted him out for Javonte Green with 7:09 remaining.

When Williamson re-entered the game with 4:12 to go, the Warriors held a 106-96 lead. Buddy Hield’s three free throws pushed the Golden State Warriors’ advantage to 13 points before Williamson missed a layup.

Five plays later, he committed another turnover, a miscue the hosts capitalized on with a Buddy Hield 28-footer. Hield’s triple was the dagger that put the game away as the Warriors surged to a 114-96 advantage. Willie Green raised the white flag and sent rookie Yves Missi to get Williamson out.