Pelicans vs. Spurs: Can Pelicans Deliver a Knockout Punch in San Antonio?

The New Orleans Pelicans can all but clinch the tenth seed with a road win over the San Antonio Spurs. With just 13 games left, how will Willie Green try to outflank Coach Pop for the last NBA Playoff Play-In spot?

New Orleans Pelicans vs. San Antonio Spurs Preview

When: March 18, 2022 @ 7:30 PM CT
Where: AT&T Center San Antonio, TX
How To Watch/Listen: Bally Sports NO, ESPN 100.3FM New Orleans

The New Orleans Pelicans (28-41, 10th in the Western Conference) embark on a three-game road trip just one game ahead of the San Antonio Spurs (27-43, 11th) in the race for the last NBA Playoff Play-In spot. The Pelicans have won only one of the last six games while the Spurs have won just three of their last ten. Both Willie Green and Gregg Popovich will have to coach up their ailing squads to get a win.

New Orleans is hoping Brandon Ingram can return in time for the game. He did not go through a full practice on Thursday and the Pelicans are 2-15 without their leading star. Barring good news from the injury report update, it will again be left up to CJ McCollum and Jonas Valancuinas to carry the scoring burden. The rest will be up to Willie Green’s adjustments. Herb Jones is worthy of the All-Defensive Team consideration but he can only do so much against Popovich’s well-oiled offense.

The Spurs are in the top 10 in points (7th), field-goals made (8th), rebounds (9th), and assists (1st). If you want to play for Pop, you have to play sound defense. The Spurs have the 8th most blocks and sit at 11th for steals. They do not commit turnovers, just 12.8 (26th) per game.

Dejounte Murray has made the most of his chances and now looks to be the next great Spurs leader. Herb Jones will be asked to lock down the first-time All-Star. Devin Vassell does most of his work off the ball, giving teams fits with curls and cuts. Trey Murphy will need to be attached to Vassell as San Antonio makes teams pay for ball-watching on defense.

Josh Richardson, Keldon Johnson, and Jakob Poeltl should not trouble the Pelicans' defensive assignments. Poetlt is and Top 30 rebounding big but is susceptible to getting in early foul trouble. Richardson is a journeyman on his fifth team in five years. Hayes and Valancuinas should be able to win the frontcourt battles.

It will be interesting to watch Johnson and Hayes. Both are third-year pros still trying to find their way in their new roles. Hayes has been making progress on defense and enjoying life on the break. He even hit a between-the-legs dunk to show how much he loved his new basketball life. It sent a message this whole team was still having fun growing throughout the season.

Willie Green could send a message to Devonte Graham by giving more minutes to Jose Alvarado. Graham has made just 16 of his last 45 shots, just 9 of 30 from three-point range. Being asked to initiative offense has Graham too tentative and inconsistent when he does decide to shoot. He has shot just 6 free throws while committing 7 turnovers in the last 4 games.

The Pelicans might be having fun while developing into a contender but they need more production now to push for the playoff spot. New Orleans is set up for a rare road win. They should have the best offensive (McCollum) and defensive (Jones) players in the game. They’ll have the better big man. Can the supporting cast keep a lead or will the starters still be chasing the win in crunch time?

Expected Starting Lineups:

New Orleans Pelicans: CJ McCollum, Trey Murphy, Herb Jones, Jaxson Hayes, Jonas Valanciunas

San Antonio Spurs: Dejounte Murray, Devin Vassell, Josh Richardson, Keldon Johnson, Jakob Poeltl