The San Antonio Spurs are looking to return to the winning track and season series against New Orleans when they host the Pelicans in the Slump on Saturday.
Saturday’s game is the Spurs’ second home in a row and the finale of the four-game homestand.
New Orleans (18-49) has already been eliminated from postseason competition, but San Antonio (27-38) still has a chance to make the Western Conference a play-in tournament. The Spurs will play in the final position with 17 contests remaining on Saturday in a 4-1/2 game behind the fourth-placed Dallas Mavericks.
The Spurs made a 145-134 decision to Charlotte on Friday, playing for the first time in a month without star guard Daron Fox. The team announced Thursday that Fox will miss the rest of the season with a ligament torn to Pinky’s finger on his left.
On Friday, San Antonio was unable to slow down the score from Charlotte’s boundary, falling 26 points on the break, never seriously challenged the rest of the game.
Stephen Castle led the Spurs with 26 points on Friday, with Devin Vassel earning 22. Jeremy Sochan was hit with 14, with Sandro Mam Kerashvili adding 13, while Keldon Johnson and Julian Champany each adding 12 points to San Antonio.
“This league is too good to think you can turn it on or flip the switch (to get back to the game).” “We tried to run a few times. We were fighting. You could see your effort and competitiveness rise a little.
“But that’s not how this works. You won’t be rewarded for that type of effort, competitiveness, or strength without doing it.”
The Pelicans travel to Alamo City after a 113-93 defeat to Orlando on Thursday.
New Orleans was led by Zion Williamson’s 20 points, eight rebounds and five assists, scoring 30 points on the break and barely able to make up for that deficit in the second half.
Trey Murphy III added 17 points on the setback, while Jose Alvarado scored 12 (all in the fourth quarter) for the Pelican, who dropped five of his last six games.
Jordan Hawkins’ consistent play was a positive sign for the Pelicans. The second-year security guard scored double-digit numbers in nine of the last 11 contests.
“He’s in good health,” New Orleans manager Willie Green said of Hawkins on Friday. “We promise to match the Jordanian minutes. It helps you to prepare accordingly when you know you’ll play more than 20 minutes in the game. It’s good to see him go out on the floor and look like him.”
San Antonio won their first match between teams on December 8th at home. The Pelicans then won two games in three days for New Orleans, leading the season series.
– Field-level media
