The Spurs made it more suspenseful than it needed to be but secured a 121-116 win against the shorthanded Pelicans on Sunday. Chris Paul surpassed Jason Kidd in the all-time assist leaderboard in the matchup but San Antonio lost Zach Collins and Keldon Johnson to injury, which put a damper on the celebration.
It wasn’t looking good for the Spurs early on, as they seemed to have caught the injury bug from the Pelicans, which were missing Brandon Ingram, Zion Williamson and several others. Victor Wembanyama, who returned after a two-game absence, fell to the floor early after a good start and had to head to the locker room. Soon after, Zach Collins had a hard fall and had to exit with lower back soreness, leaving the team shorthanded inside. Fortunately for the Silver and Black, Keldon Johnson and Charles Bassey stepped up to keep them in it despite some bad perimeter defense allowing New Orleans to get inside and to the free-throw line often in the opening frame. As the minutes went on, San Antonio settled into a better rhythm on offense after taking too many jumpers in the opening stretch, but the visitors were in front by six after one.
The injuries continued in the second quarter. Stephon Castle had to go to the locker room with a sore shoulder but returned before the half ended. Keldon Johnson wasn’t so lucky, as he suffered a calf injury that sidelined him. On the court, the Spurs and Pelicans switched identities, with San Antonio trying to get inside and New Orleans taking a lot of jumpers, many of which went in. The Silver and Black needed to step up on defense to come back and take over and did just that, with Wembanyama, back from receiving treatment, making a difference on both ends to fuel a big run. The big man wasn’t the only one upping his production, as Chris Paul started racking up assists to pass Jason Kidd on the all-time list and get good looks for his teammates.
After a 42-point second quarter, the Spurs were up nine and looking for some separation that could allow them to rest the guys in pain. Unfortunately, the Pelicans’ defense tightened up and the Silver and Black didn’t make the right decisions. When they played with patience on offense, they got good looks but often tried to force things. Just as it happened when the game fell into the same pattern late, Wembanyama made sure San Antonio would turn things around and the guards made plays when they needed to. Still, the visitors refused to go away and fought tooth and nail to remain in it, even if they had to make the game ugly to make up for the difference in talent. They failed to fully make up the difference only because the Spurs played better defense than they had in the previous two games.
As mentioned, the Pelicans deserve plenty of credit for giving themselves a chance to pull off the upset, and came awfully close to doing it. For most of the final quarter San Antonio, which was up by as many as 11 at one point, did a good job of managing the lead and trading buckets. Then the turnovers started to pile up at the worst possible time, allowing New Orleans to fuel a comeback attempt. The visitors put together an 11-0 run to take the lead late, as the decision-making and execution on offense was questionable at best for the Spurs. As it happened in the third quarter, good defense and timely plays by Wembanyama proved to be the difference. A clutch three to regain the lead and some free throws from the star big man secured a win that snapped a three-game losing streak for the Silver and Black.
### Play of the game
A block and a one-legged three. There are not many players in league history that can put together a sequence like this.
### Game notes
* Collins’ fall was a painful one. Johnson’s injury might not be as bad as it seemed at the time, going by what Mitch Johnson said after the game. The break in the schedule the Spurs are getting comes as the perfect time, since several players are dealing with health issues.
* Despite only playing 26 minutes, Wemby logged 25 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks. The clutch plays were huge and Victor also had a big impact on defense. At times he took a back seat to the guards on offense, but he got his points efficiently. Another great performance from Vic.
* Stephon Castle had some rookie moments, but did a good job on defense on the Pelicans’ talented guards and finished with 22 points, five rebounds and four assists. He struggled a little in the first half but came alive in the second, finishing one point shy of his career high.
* Chris Paul dished out 10 assists, including the one that resulted in Wembanyama’s clutch three. He also talked to Wemby a lot late, when the big man looked a little frustrated. Paul is bringing leadership and playmaking, like the Spurs hoped he would.
* Julian Champagnie did a good job on defense on a night in which his shot wasn’t falling as often and Harrison Barnes took over on offense for a few minutes when the team needed someone to score. The starting forwards did their job.
* Jeremy Sochan wasn’t on the floor in crunch time, except for the final 20 seconds. It wasn’t the best game from the young forward but he still did a little bit of everything and played fantastic defense most of the game. He’ll probably be closing games again soon. Vassell was on the floor late but also came off the bench and didn't have a standout game.
* Charles Bassey made the most out of his extended minutes, finishing with 16 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks. He’s earned a chance at the backup center role.
### Next game: at Portland Trail Blazers on Friday
The Spurs will have a few days off to hopefully get healthy before visiting the young Blazers.