Pelicans, Zion Williamson Hand Spurs 10th Consecutive Loss
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The San Antonio Spurs fell short 117-99 in their loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday, dropping 6-17 on the season. After getting off to a 5-2 start, they have since gone 1-15 and are one of the NBA's worst teams.
Zion Williamson proved too much for the Spurs to handle, with 30 points and 15 rebounds. Jonas Valanciunas chipped in 21 points and 11 rebounds, outmatching the Spurs' frontcourt with Jakob Poeltl, and Jeremy Sochan sidelined.
Despite holding a 67-63 lead at the 4:22 mark of the third quarter, the Spurs were outscored by a 22-point margin for the remainder of regulation. San Antonio was ultimately held to just 19 points in the third quarter, proving to be too much to overcome in the end.
While the Spurs experienced another double-figure loss, one silver-lining was the 25-point performance that Devin Vassell produced. He scored a team-high 25 points and five makes from the perimeter, nearly half of the team's total.
It was a major struggle for the Spurs to produce positive results offensively. They were contained to shooting just 38-98 (38.8 percent) from the floor and 11-39 (28.2 percent) from 3-point range. A significant factor was the continued struggles of Keldon Johnson, who was held to 15 points and shot 1-8 (12.5 percent) from beyond the arc.
The Spurs played without Gregg Popovich coaching on the sidelines. He missed the game due to what was explained as a minor medical procedure by the team. He will miss San Antonio's matchup with the Phoenix Suns on Sunday.
In speaking of Popovich, the Spurs have now lost 10 consecutive games, which is the most consecutive losses in the Popovich era. San Antonio is putting on a tanking masterclass after getting off to the second-best start in franchise history through seven games.
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