Zion-Less Pelicans Suffer Devastating Defeat To Wemby, Spurs At Home

New Orleans has some soul-searching to do after going 1-5 on their six-game homestand.

New Orleans, LA - The Pelicans suffer one of its worst losses of the season in their 111-109 defeat to the San Antonio Spurs. Considering the importance of the game with playoff seeding on the line, the Pelicans lost to one of the worst teams in the league. New Orleans finished their six-game home stand with a 1-5 record. Both Brandon Ingram and Jose Alvarado missed the game with injury.

The Pelicans announced right before the game that star forward Zion Williamson would miss due to a left finger injury suffered in Wednesday's loss to the Orlando Magic. Without Williamson and Brandon Ingram, who missed his seventh straight game with a hyperextended knee, New Orleans needed a big night from CJ McCollum. McCollum scored 19 points in the first half to lead all scorers. The Pelicans defense held the Spurs to just 30% shooting from the field in the first quarter while scoring 14 of their 27 first-half points in the paint.

New Orleans held Spurs rookie phenom Victor Wembanyama to just two first-quarter points as the Pels grabbed a nine-point advantage after one quarter. San Antonio got back into the game after a 10-2 run in the second quarter to pull within five. Former Pelicans Devonte Graham scored 12 first-half points on 4/7 shooting from the field. Jonas Valanciunas played well in the first half, despite picking up three fouls in the half. He scored 16 points and dished five assists. New Orleans continued to dominate the paint, outscoring the Spurs 30-20 and leading by ten at halftime.

Wembanyama began to make his mark on the game with a strong third-quarter performance. The rookie scored ten points to lead a 35-point quarter for the Spurs. His teammate Devonte Graham hit a three-point shot as the quarter expired to tie the game at 86. The bucket gave Graham 18 points for the game, outscoring the entire Pelicans bench 18-14 at that point.

San Antonio eventually took their first lead since the first quarter and led by five with five minutes to go. New Orleans would commit two key turnovers, including one while down three points and a chance to tie the game. Herb Jones lost the ball before even attempting a shot and Wembanyama's free throws sealed the game for the Spurs, who won just their ninth road game of the season. Wembanyama had a near triple-double with 17 points, 12 rebounds, and nine assists. Devonte Graham outscored the entire Pels bench singlehandedly with his season-high 20 points.

The road doesn't get any easier for New Orleans with a four-game road trip upcoming, including games against the Phoenix Suns, Sacramento Kings, and Los Angeles Lakers. New Orleans has five games remaining in its regular season as it tries to avoid the Play-In Tournament for the third year in a row.