San Antonio Spurs Torched From 3 By New Orleans Pelicans, Drop Tony Parker's Hall-of-Fame Game
SAN ANTONIO — Freshly energized and ready to honor San Antonio legend Tony Parker, a packed Frost Bank Center once again showed out to watch its beloved Spurs take on the New Orleans Pelicans on a Sunday afternoon.
While there wasn't a star-studded team like the Los Angeles Lakers waiting for them on the other end, New Orleans posed a threat of its own, especially with a record good enough to place them well in the mix for the Western Conference playoffs.
But the Spurs welcomed the challenge.
Both squads duked it out throughout the entirety of the game — New Orleans led by C.J. McCollum's 29 points and San Antonio by Victor Wembanyama's 17 — though ultimately, it was the visiting squad who came away victorious, securing a 146-110 win over the Spurs.
New Orleans stars Brandon Ingram and McCollum carried the Pelicans throughout the game from behind the arc, not missing a single shot — aside from a late-heave at the buzzer — in the first half en route to a combined 55 points and 79 percent shooting from 3-point-land.
The Spurs, on the other hand, had trouble connecting from deep, which put them in a first-quarter hole they had to climb back from in the second half. They shot just 40 percent from the field compared to the Pelicans' 55 percent, however, and couldn't quite get it done. But they tried.
Dec 17, 2023; San Antonio, Texas, USA; New Orleans Pelicans Brandon Ingram (14) shoots over San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) during the first half at Frost Bank Center.
© Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports
The Spurs got off to a strong start, finding three straight buckets from Malaki Branham and Victor Wembanyama. The 7-4 rookie flushed an alley-oop to set the tone early on, but from there, New Orleans caught back up behind a pair of 3-point makes from C.J. McCollum and Brandon Ingram.
After the Pelicans equalized the Spurs' early lead, they just continued to roll. By the end of the first quarter, New Orleans had made six 3s on a shooting clip north of 50 percent to take a 13-point lead to the second period.
The second quarter saw much of the same action from both sides. San Antonio was scoring close to the rim, but New Orleans 3-point misses were still hard to come by and the Spurs found themselves in a hole.
Sloppy play kept the Spurs from cutting the lead down in the middle part of the quarter as the Pelicans continued to roll, getting out to a 20-point lead with around three minutes to play. But Cedi Osman provided some instant offense at the rim — finishing the half with 12 points — while Wembanyama notched his first 3-pointer of the afternoon to give the Spurs some life, but still, New Orleans held a 10-point lead at half.
Then, it was Parker's time to shine.
Dec 17, 2023; San Antonio, Texas; Former Spurs Hall-of-Fame point guard Tony Parker honored at halftime against the Pelicans.
© Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports
A standing ovation welcomed Spurs legend and Hall-of-Famer Tony Parker to center court following a tribute video featuring him, Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Gregg Popovich.
"You are by far, the best fans in the NBA," Parker said to the arena. "Thank you for the support. You adopted me. San Antonio is home for me, and it will always be home."
Parker watched as his jersey was revealed atop the rafters, right next to Ginobili's, Duncan's and the other greats to come before him. He gave a final wave and a smile, and retreated back to the tunnel enshrined forever as a Spurs legend.
And then the current players got back to work.
Devin Vassell hit a 3-pointer to open the scoring for his team in the second half, but as quickly as he scored, so, too, did Ingram — both from 3 and at the rim with an And-1.
Wembanyama responded with another 3 of his own to secure his eighth-straight triple double — an NBA record for a teenager — but like the first time, New Orleans responded to hold its lead steady at 16 halfway through the quarter.
The Pelicans' cushion only grew as the third quarter waned. By the end of it, San Antonio was down by more than 20 after an errant pass from Sandro Mamukelashvili intended for Julian Champagnie ended up in Zion Williamson's hands. Jose Alvarado cashed in a 3-pointer to cap off a 6-0 run to send the Spurs into the fourth down 27.
And it just got worse.
New Orleans continued to lay on the points both from deep and inside the arc. Missed shots from the Spurs made that convenient, and by time the clock hit seven minutes, the game was all but officially over. San Antonio limped to the end of the game, ultimately losing 146-110 at home.
With the loss, San Antonio falls to 4-21 to record yet another loss, though this time it doesn't add on to a streak. The Pelicans now sit in the eighth seed in the West, looking to climb into a guaranteed playoff spot at No. 6.
Next up for the Spurs is a visit to face the Milwaukee Bucks to begin a three-game road trip leading up to their next home game the day after Christmas. Wins in those games will be crucial, as the last time they won on the road was Nov. 2.
Tipoff from Fiserv Forum is scheduled for 7 p.m. CST Tuesday.
