Devin Vassell powered the Spurs in New Orleans (Photo via X)
The San Antonio Spurs improved to 2-0 with a 120-116 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans. In what was a close game throughout, the Spurs fell behind by eight points in the fourth quarter before authoring a 14-0 run to erase the deficit. The Pelicans battled back to force overtime but the Spurs hit enough timely shots in the extra session to eke out the win.
Stats: Spurs at Pelicans
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Spurs at Pelicans – Final Grades
Victor Wembanyama
While not quite as dominant as he was against the Mavs, Wembanyama’s encore was pretty darn impressive. He totaled 29 points, 11 rebounds and nine blocks even though he dealt with an uneven whistle that eventually led to him fouling out in overtime. All in all, though, there was a lot to like. Wembanyama’s defense was stout, particularly on the interior. Offensively, he fought for positioning and he battled to get high-quality shots. The Frenchman made the right passes while also finishing with zero turnovers for the second consecutive outing. After two games, it’d be difficult for anyone to have expected anything more out of him.
Grade: A
Devin Vassell
Vassell didn’t shoot it the straightest but the Spurs lose this game without his timely shot-making. Right after Wembanyama fouled out in overtime, Vassell hit a three-pointer to give the good guys some breathing room. In total, he hit a handful of big-time shots. Vassell also had a few timely plays on the defensive end. His shot-selection is a work in progress and he struggled a bit with turnovers and fouls … but, again, he was vital to this win.
Grade: A-
Stephon Castle
It was a rough evening at the office for Castle. His ten turnovers paint an accurate picture of how sloppy he was offensively. His passing was out of whack and he had trouble dribbling the ball. To make matters worse, he struggled at the line and his presence on the court was hurting the spacing because the Pelicans weren’t guarding him on the perimeter. To Castle’s credit, he kept battling and ended up doing enough to help the Spurs secure the victory. He has to hit more threes when left unguarded and he can’t be so inconsistent passing the ball — but his grit and perseverance ended up paying dividends when it mattered most.
Grade: D+
Harrison Barnes
Barnes was quiet for the majority of his 34 minutes on the court. Thankfully, though, he played well for a key stretch in the fourth quarter. He hit a three-pointer and a layup in that stretch to give the Spurs momentum. I also thought Barnes’ passing and defensive intensity were at higher than normal levels.
Grade: B
Julian Champagnie
Shooting was a struggle for Champagnie against New Orleans. He was 0-for-5 from three-point territory in regulation before nailing a key three-point try in the overtime period. Despite his wayward marksmanship, Champagnie found other ways to contribute. He rebounded well, passed the ball well, defended with vigor and limited his mistakes.
Grade: B
Luke Kornet
Kornet is looking like a damn good signing right about now. His minutes with Wembanyama are promising. His offensive rebounding is game-changing. He has good hands, he finishes well, he’s a legitimately good passer and he rarely makes mistakes. Defensively against the Pelicans, I thought he did great work against Zion Williamson — both when he was on him and when he offered helped.
Grade: A-
Dylan Harper
The good: Harper was the MVP of the vital 14-0 stretch in the fourth quarter when it looked like the game was going to slip away. He hit a three-pointer before authoring a series of smart plays to pull the Spurs back from the abyss. His passing and ability to penetrate the lane is as good as advertised. The bad: Harper struggled to finish and his outside shot looked flat. He was also a bit loose with the ball and was one of a few Spurs who dealt with nagging foul trouble. Net-net: Harper needs to be more efficient obviously but seeing him step up at a key moment of a game so early in his career was awesome.
Grade: B-
Keldon Johnson
Johnson’s physicality in the paint was a much-needed attribute on this night. He was great on the boards and bullied his way to points. Unfortunately, his physicality came with a price as he fouled out in only 19 minutes of action. Better awareness on defense could have saved him from a few of those fouls.
Grade: B+
Jordan McLaughlin
McLaughlin got six minutes and did what you’d expect him to do: run the plays right, try on defense and hit an open three-point look.
Grade: B
Carter Bryant
Bryant played three minutes and didn’t do anything too notable during that time.
Grade: Inc.
Mitch Johnson
I thought Johnson did well. He navigated the foul trouble wisely. Giving extra minutes to Kornet was smart. Trusting Harper in the guts of the game was cool to see. His plays to get Vassell open for three-point attempts were crafty. Overall, the Spurs didn’t play especially well but Johnson did his part to guide San Antonio to a win.
Grade: A-