Grades: San Antonio Spurs at New Orleans Pelicans – Game #55
Keldon Johnson played well against the Pelicans (Photo via X)
In a topsy-turvy affair, the San Antonio Spurs ended up getting blown out by the New Orleans Pelicans by a final score of 114-96. The loss dropped the Spurs to a record of 24-31.
Early on, things were going well for the good guys. San Antonio’s defense was cooking in the first half and the Spurs led by as many as 17 points in the second quarter.
Unfortunately, the tide turned after intermission. The Spurs went cold early in the third quarter offensively and San Antonio’s defense seemingly got worse and worse. New Orleans kept the momentum the rest of the way and led by as many as 21 points before easily waltzing to victory.
Honestly, this was a demoralizing game for the Spurs. The Hornets weren’t playing too well — it was just San Antonio playing terribly on both ends of the court in the second half.
Stats: Spurs at Pelicans
Spurs at Pelicans – Final Grades
De’Aaron Fox
This was quite clearly Fox’s worst game in a Spurs uniform. He hit a three-pointer less than two minutes into the game but then everything was downhill after that. He connected on two of his final 15 shots from the floor, turned the ball over four times and didn’t have a whole lot of success on the defensive end. Fox was acquired to make the Spurs more dynamic offensively. In this game against the Pelicans, he just made ugly matters even worse.
Grade: D-
Devin Vassell
I don’t think I’ve ever seen Vassell play this poorly. Over his last five games, he’s averaging 7.8 points in 28.6 minutes per game while shooting 27.5% from the field and 16% from three-point range. Versus New Orleans, he put together a 1-for-9 clunker. He has one total assist in his last three games and is doing absolutely no playmaking. Vassell’s defense was also bad on this forgettable evening.
Grade: D-
Chris Paul
Paul is supposed to be a calming influence. Against the Pelicans, he was one of the main sources of angst. He was 1-for-10 from the field and was forcing needlessly difficult shots. His playmaking was fine (seven assists, one turnover) but his decision-making was uncharacteristically pedestrian. Paul was also bad on defense, particularly in the second half.
Grade: D
Harrison Barnes
Barnes didn’t shoot it especially straight but he looked like a Curry brother compared to the other perimeter threats in the starting lineup. He was one of the few Spurs players who acted like he had a plan when he got the ball and who actually tried hard to get open. Barnes was even acceptably good on the defensive end.
Grade: B
Bismack Biyombo
Biyombo played well. Ten points, ten rebounds, four blocks and two steals? Yes, yeah, affirmative, that is damn good work for a guy on a ten-day contract. As the numbers suggest, Biyombo was crashing the boards, protecting the rim and finishing opportunities in the paint. What the numbers don’t show were his very good screens and his relentless hustle.
Grade: A-
Keldon Johnson
Johnson has been on fire in his last three games. In that time span, he’s averaging 20.3 points in 26.4 minutes per game, while shooting 77.4% from the field and 62.5% from three-point range. Not only is he shooting it great from the outside, Johnson is also attacking the rim with ferocity and finishing with impeccable touch. His decision-making passing-wise has also been outstanding and his effort level is carrying over to the defensive end.
Grade: A-
Stephon Castle
Like Paul and Vassell before him, this youngster couldn’t hit the broadside of the Frost Bank Center. Castle was 1-for-10 from the field and turned the ball over twice. The rookie’s shot-selection was poor and his touch around the rim was clumsy. Castle also didn’t do much of anything on the defensive end.
Grade: D-
Jeremy Sochan
The good: Sochan was a strong rebounder, passed the ball reasonably well and limited his errors. Defensively, Sochan was one of the few players in Silver and Black who put forth a noteworthy amount of effort. The bad: Scoring-wise, Sochan was a letdown. He missed both threes and both freebies and wasn’t getting to the rim often enough to make much of a difference.
Grade: B
Julian Champagnie
Champagnie’s shooting was a big reason why the Spurs got out to a big lead in the first half. He hit his first four three-point attempts and was brimming with confidence. Sadly, his hotness didn’t last. He was only 2-for-9 from the field after his hot start. To Champagnie’s credit, he played with effort in all facets, passed the ball well and showed some fight on defense.
Grade: B+
Sandro Mamukelashvili
Mamukelashvili almost always makes his presence felt. Regrettably, against the Pelicans, that didn’t happen. He didn’t lack electricity but his tangible impact on the game was minimal.
Grade: C+
Charles Bassey
Bassey was playing pretty well but then suffered yet another knee injury. It’s looking more and more like his knees aren’t going to allow him to be a long-term NBA player.
Grade: B-
Mitch Johnson
Ouch. That was an ugly one. San Antonio’s guards were really bad … and the coaching staff should shoulder some of that blame. The playcalling wasn’t helping matters and the bench should have been used earlier and more often.
Grade: D