Preview: San Antonio Spurs at New Orleans Pelicans – Game #55
Charles Bassey could be a starter soon (Photo via X)
The San Antonio Spurs continue the 2025 Rodeo Road Trip tonight when they go to New Orleans to take on the Pelicans. The Spurs enter the game with a record of 24-30, while the lowly Pelicans are just 13-43.
This will be the third game since the Spurs learned that Victor Wembanyama would miss the rest of the 2024-25 regular season. Wembanyama was diagnosed with a blood clot following the All-Star break. The franchise is confident that the superstar French big man will be ready to play at the beginning of next seasons.
Thus far without Wembanyama, the Spurs have one once and lost once. Their latest contest was a 125-110 defeat at the hands of the Detroit Pistons. While Keldon Johnson (28 points) and De’Aaron Fox (27 points) played well, the majority of the other players struggled.
The Pelicans have lost 11 of their last 12 games. After snapping a ten-game losing streak against the Sacramento Kings, New Orleans lost their last game to the Dallas Mavericks.
As it stands, the Pelicans have the worst record in the Western Conference. The Spurs, on the other hand, have the fourth worst record in the West.
Gregg Popovich Not Expected to Return
Not only will Wembanyama miss the rest of the regular season, national reports now state that head coach Gregg Popovich will also miss the rest of the season. Furthermore, the reports indicate that it’s possible that Popovich won’t return to the sideline at any point in the future.
Popovich suffered what has been reported as a mild stroke back in November. At the time, there was hope that he would return this season. Now that hope is all but gone and his future is more uncertain than ever.
With Popovich out, the Spurs will continue to be led by interim head coach Mitch Johnson. If Popovich remains out going into next season, it’s not yet known if Johnson will continue to be the head coach of the team.
San Antonio Spurs Starting Lineup
The starting lineup is difficult to predict right now. In the last two games, the coaching staff went with De’Aaron Fox, Chris Paul, Devin Vassell, Harrison Barnes and Bismack Biyombo.
However, Biyombo struggled last game and could be replaced with Charles Bassey, who is now able to play after suffering a sprained MCL. Rookie Stephon Castle will eventually be inserted in the starting lineup — the question is when. Vassell has struggled lately and he came off the bench in the second half against the Pistons. Paul isn’t a long-term starter for the Spurs, especially since he’s 39 years old. Jeremy Sochan is also a player who the Spurs may want to return to the starting lineup.
Against the Pelicans, the Spurs may start the same starting five for the third game in a row — or the changes could begin now.
Betting Guide: Spurs at Pelicans
The Pelicans are favored by two points and the over/under is at 243 points. The smart money is on the Spurs. San Antonio is still trying to win games right now, while the Pelicans seem to be looking forward to the NBA draft.