DeMarcus Cousins says Pelicans are ‘not ready’ after 30-point loss in his debut

It will not be a quick fix for the Pelicans, who suffered a 129-99 loss to the Houston Rockets on Thursday in DeMarcus Cousins’ New Orleans debut.

Cousins put up his familiar All-Star-caliber numbers, finishing with 27 points, 14 rebounds, five assists, five steals and four blocks. His All-Star frontcourt teammate, Anthony Davis, added 29 points and nine rebounds, but the NBA’s newest “Twin Towers” got little help from the rest of the roster, which combined to score 43.



After the game, Cousins preached patience but acknowledged that the new-look Pelicans haven’t hit their stride yet when asked what he learned from Thursday’s 30-point loss.

“We’re not ready,” Cousins told reporters. “It’s obvious we’re not ready. Like I said the potential is there. There was some positives in the game tonight, but I also saw a lot of negatives.”

One glaring negative was the 20 turnovers the Pelicans committed, though Cousins and Davis combined for just four. Another concern was New Orleans' defense, which allowed the Rockets to shoot 50 percent from the floor and 39 percent from deep.

The Pelicans have a day off before they face the Mavericks, who are in the hunt with New Orleans for the eighth spot in the West, on Saturday.