Preview: San Antonio Spurs at New Orleans Pelicans – Game #77
Julian Champagnie and the Spurs take on the Pelicans (Photo via Twitter)
A short-handed San Antonio Spurs squad play a road game tonight in New Orleans against the Pelicans. The Spurs enter with a record of 18-58, which has them in last place in the Western Conference. The Pelicans, 45-31, are tied with the Phoenix Suns for the sixth seed in the West.
After winning three straight games, San Antonio is now riding a two-game losing streak. Despite losing against the Denver Nuggets in their last game, the Spurs played really well. Star rookie center Victor Wembanyama led the way with a near quadruple-double of 23 points, 15 rebounds, nine blocks and eight assists. A number of his teammates also played well (see the Grades).
Recently one of the hottest teams in the league, New Orleans has cooled off as of late. They’ve lost their last three games. Since improving to 42-26 on March 19th, the Pelicans are only 3-5. A part of the problem is that Brandon Ingram has been sidelined in recent weeks a knee injury.
San Antonio Spurs Injury Update
San Antonio’s injury report is extensive. Devin Vassell (foot), Jeremy Sochan (ankle) and Charles Bassey (knee) are all out for the season. For tonight’s affair against the Pelicans, three more players are also out: Keldon Johnson (foot), Cedi Osman (ankle) and Dominick Barlow (knee).
For Spurs fans, they’ll be happy to hear that Victor Wembanyama isn’t on the injury report and is expected to play tonight in New Orleans.
New Orleans Pelicans Injury Update
The Pelicans will once again be without Brandon Ingram tonight. Joining him on the sidelines could be Zion Williamson, who is listed as questionable with a finger injury.
Also out tonight for New Orleans is Jose Alvarado.
San Antonio Spurs Starting Lineup
Head coach Gregg Popovich is running out of bodies. While it’s difficult to guess exactly who will start for the Spurs, expect Tre Jones at point guard, Malaki Branham at shooting guard, Julian Champagnie at small forward, Sandro Mamukelashvili at power forward and Victor Wembanyama at center.
Off the bench, we can confidently say that Zach Collins and Blake Wesley will play. The rest of the rotation is up in the air.
Betting Guide: Spurs at Pelicans
The Pelicans are favored by 11.5 points and the over/under is 219 points. The smart money is on the Spurs. Even though the Spurs are short-handed, they’ve been battling and should be able to hang tough in New Orleans — especially if Zion Williamson is out.