Spurs host hapless Pelicans, look to snap dropping streak

The San Antonio Spurs will try to get back on the winning track when they host the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday in a Western Conference clash.

The possible return of Victor Wembanyama to the lineup would help.

The Spurs have dropped a season-worst three straight games — the past two without Wembanyama, who was out due to lower back soreness and is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game. San Antonio’s most recent contest was a 140-113 home loss to the Sacramento Kings on Friday despite a career-high 30 points from Julian Champagnie.

Stephon Castle added 15 points, Keldon Johnson and Jeremy Sochan tallied 14 apiece, and Chris Paul racked up 11 points and 13 assists for the Spurs in Friday’s setback. San Antonio trailed by 10 at halftime and by 14 after three quarters and never got closers than that the rest of the game.

“We can clean up in all areas,” San Antonio acting coach Mitch Johnson said. “(Allowing) 140 points is not anywhere near what we expect of ourselves. Transition defense or one defense has been probably the most disappointing. Our one-on-one defense has been better and should be better and will be better.”

The Spurs also were without guard Devin Vassell, sidelined due to right-foot injury management, and lost Zach Collins to an ejection three minutes into the second quarter.

“We’ve just got to continue to help each other,” Paul said. “We just got to continue to watch games, try to learn people’s tendencies and team’s tendencies. As we get better at that, we’ll continue to get better.”

The Pelicans head to the Alamo City for the second of a home-road back-to-back after a 119-109 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday. The setback was the 10th in the past 11 games for injury-shackled New Orleans, which at 5-19 has the worst record in the Western Conference.

Dejounte Murray led New Orleans with 26 points, Herbert Jones added 24, Trey Murphy III had 16 and CJ McCollum and Brandon Boston Jr. scored 11 each in the loss. Brandon Ingram, the team’s leading scorer (22.2 points per game), was in his second game back after missing six contests with a calf injury. He had five points before leaving the game 17 seconds into the third quarter with a left ankle issue.

The Pelicans trailed 77-51 at halftime and never got closer than nine points through the remainder of the game.

The 77 points tied for the most the Pelicans had given up in a half this season.

“It was an unacceptable start, committing turnovers, allowing a team to score 42 points in (the second quarter) in your building,” New Orleans coach Wille Green said afterward. “We have to be better for 48 minutes. In the second half, we decided that we were going to come out and compete. That’s really who we are. We’ve got to do it for 48 minutes. Not one half.”

Sunday’s contest is the first of four meetings between the teams this season. The Spurs will travel to New Orleans for back-to-back games on Feb. 23 and 25 before hosting the Pelicans on March 15.

–Field Level Media