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Charles Barkley hilariously destroys Pelicans after terrible Game 3 loss

Originally posted on ClutchPoints | By Jay Postrado | Last updated 4/27/24

No team has ever won an NBA Playoffs series after going three games to none. This is the reality that the New Orleans Pelicans now have to face or something they could put to reset by defying all odds. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s Oklahoma City Thunder have been steamrolling them. They got close to stealing the first game but then lost in the succeeding games. Charles Barkley noticed that the Brandon Ingram-led squad’s performance is not getting better. This collapse made him declare big and hilarious statements about the eighth-seeded Western Conference team, via NBA on TNT.

“Galveston. That dirty a** water. We are not even going to send them to Cancun. They’ll be washed up on the shore… Come on, man. They did not even try. We are not giving them no plane ticket to the beach,” the former MVP turned TV host said.

Charles Barkley does make a point here. The Pelicans lost with a whopping 32-point deficit to the Thunder in the second game of this NBA Playoffs clash. Their third matchup against the top-seeded Western Conference team was still the same story. They lost by 21 points. On all three occasions, the Pelicans have also not been able to score more than 95 points. This is baffling giving the emphasis of pace and space in the current era of the NBA.

This series is far from over. The Pelicans just need to take it one game at a time if they still want to have a deep NBA Playoffs run. However, they do need to patch up a lot of issues in such a small amount of time.

Pelicans get absolutely demolished again

Apr 27, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder Guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) goes up for a shot against the New Orleans Pelicans during the first quarter of game three of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports © Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports

The main issue in the team for this game was knocking down shots and preventing their opponents from getting on big runs. Brandon Ingram’s squad was struggling to find any rhythm from outside. Despite attempting 32 three-pointers, they only managed to knock down a meager 28.1% of their shots. This problem then started to plague them in all three levels of scoring too. In the end, the Pelicans recorded an awful 38.1% field goal percentage.

It was a different story for the Thunder. Everyone got the opportunity to shine while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander still led the way. Their All-NBA star notched 24 points with eight assists and five rebounds. Josh Giddey and Jalen Williams then followed suit by combining for 42 points. Lu Dort rounded out the double-figure scorers by recording 12 points in Game 3.

For the Pelicans, no one could score more than 20 against the Thunder’s defense. Brandon Ingram had the most output by scoring 19. CJ McCollum and Herb Jones then recorded 16 and 15 points respectively with Trey Murphy III getting 10 points of his own.

Look, the Pelicans are a team that does well in fighting for rebounds, generating steals, and being an equal match to the Thunder on other fronts. However, their shots just do not find the bottom of the net at all in this series. Maybe it’s time for some schematic and rotational changes such that they go to adapt to their opponent’s style of play.

This article first appeared on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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