On Tuesday night, the New Orleans Pelicans dropped their second straight game of the season to the undermanned Golden State Warriors, 124-106.

The Warriors played without superstar guard Steph Curry (ankle) and forward Andrew Wiggins (back), but they showed their depth and system cohesion in the win.

The Pelicans looked ready to make up for their loss on Sunday against the Portland Trail Blazers by dominating the first quarter of the game. Brandon Ingram scored the first 10 points as the offense was clicking on all cylinders. New Orleans had a 20-point lead at one point. Defensively, the Pelicans held Golden State to just 21% shooting from the floor and held them scoreless for the final 4:50 of the quarter.

New Orleans ended the first quarter on a 13-0 run and had a 31-14 lead.

That lead quickly diminished as the Warriors opened the second quarter on a 10-0 run. Turnovers were doomed for the Pelicans for most of the evening. They committed 15 turnovers in the first half, leading to 18 Golden State points.

Willie Green’s team couldn’t capitalize on the Warriors’ mistakes in the first half, scoring just two points off Golden State’s turnovers. New Orleans’ stars played like stars, with Zion Williamson scoring 19 points in the half and Ingram scoring 15 points. Yet they only led 51-47 at halftime.

Things continued to go downhill as the Pelicans offense sputtered to find consistency and Golden State’s three-point shooting came alive.

They outscored New Orleans 40-28 in the third period, and to make matters worse, Pelicans all-world defenseman Herb Jones left early in the third quarter with a shoulder injury after being caught by Warriors guard Brandon Podziemski.

Without Jones, New Orleans lost their key perimeter defender, and without guard Dejounte Murray, they struggled to keep Golden State from making outside shots. That included former Pelicans guard Buddy Hield, who struggled with just three points in the first half but came alive to lead the Warriors to victory.

Hield scored 19 in the fourth quarter alone, while New Orleans perimeter scorers like CJ McCollum and Jordan Hawkins struggled to shoot the ball all night.

McCollum finished with just 5 points on 2/8 shooting, while Hawkins scored just three points in 26 minutes. Golden State reveled in the Pelicans’ mistakes, turning New Orleans’ 23 turnovers into 32 points. The Warriors only scored eight goals that night.

Williamson finished the game with 31 points in 30 minutes while Ingram contributed 30 points, but the rest of their teammates combined for 45 points on the night.

That includes three Pelicans starters who combined to score 15 points, while the team attempted just 22 three-pointers on the night. Golden State made 21 shots from distance in their 46 attempts.

Both teams will play again on Wednesday evening.

If Jones can’t play Wednesday, the pressure will increase on players like Javonte Green and Hawkins to play solid defense and knock down shots.

New Orleans ends its current road trip after that game before returning home for a five-game homestand that begins Friday night.