Spurs crushed by hot-shooting Pelicans, 146-110

SAN ANTONIO — The Spurs got a reality check against a red-hot Pelicans team in an ugly 146-110 blowout on Sunday afternoon.

Rookie sensation Victor Wembanyama made history, but New Orleans set a new franchise record for threes in a game as they sent San Antonio to their 19th loss in 20 tries.

San Antonio picked up where they left off in their win over the Lakers and got out to another hot start. Wembanyama posted up and picked up his dribble in a place where almost every other player would be forced to take a fadeaway, but he used his unreal length to step through and gently place the ball in the basket. Soon after, Wemby spun away from his defender and Vassell lobbed it up to him for an alley-oop that made the rookie look like a man amongst boys.

Wembanyama is still pretty new to playing center in this game, and the matchup with Spurs killer and underrated big man Jonas Valanciunas felt like a crucial test for the rookie. The two didn’t spend much time guarding each other, though, as ace defender Herb Jones drew the main assignment on Victor and Jeremy Sochan, who spent much of his season sticking point guards, was tasked with limiting the bruising Valanciunas.

San Antonio started the game locked in defensively, but the Pelicans found their flow later in the first quarter and went on an extended 10-0 run shortly after Wembanyama checked out. When the rookie went to the bench San Antonio trailed by 4, when he returned it was a 15-point game. Keldon Johnson scored on a couple of strong drives to close the period, and New Orleans held a 33-20 advantage after the first quarter. 

The Pelicans started the game 9-18 from three, while the Spurs hit just 1-10. The scoring barrage from New Orleans was interrupted briefly by a few more layups from Keldon and a few more defensive plays from Wembanyama, but New Orleans stretched their lead to 20.

Cedi Osman hit a three, drove in for a layup, drew an offensive foul, then scored inside again. Wemby absolutely smothered Herb Jones on a drive, and Jones tried to go up and under to avoid the big man, but those long arms followed him to the other side of the hoop. Wembanyama drew a foul, then drilled a pick-and-pop three to make it an 11-0 run. Osman hit free throws, making it 61-51 heading to halftime and Tony Parker’s Hall of Fame banner presentation.

Vassell came out of the locker room on a mission to score more, but the Pelicans ripped off a 9-0 run to push their lead to 17 again.

Wemby grabbed his tenth rebound to make it eight double-doubles in a row, breaking a tie with Dwight Howard for the longest such streak by a teenager in NBA history. He hit another smooth three.

The trio of Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum looks like a legit playoff team, and the other Pelicans locked in too. San Antonio’s defense struggled as the Pelicans pushed their lead to 27. The Spurs have been getting absolutely demolished in third quarters this season, and this is game-killing 44-27 disaster is just the latest example. It was special in that 44 is the most points by a Spurs opponent in a quarter this season.

Valanciunas took it to Wemby in the post a few times before the rook responded with a volleyball spike of a block and an easy dunk. He took an elbow to the ribs on that block and the Pelicans bench jumped up to celebrate, but he recovered for the rejection.

All of that was lipstick on a particularly ugly pig of a game, a complete collapse to remind everyone that before the last win, this team had lost 18 in a row. New Orleans hit 22 triples, a new franchise record, and beat the Spurs 146-110. San Antonio fell to 4-21 on the season.