A who’s who of Southwest Division players watched from the sideline due to injury Saturday, a group that included projected All-Stars Anthony Davis and DeMar DeRozan, along with New Orleans frontcourt contributors Julius Randle and Nikola Mirotic. While the Pelicans had difficulty generating offense beyond Jrue Holiday and Jahlil Okafor, San Antonio relied on an array of scorers to take control in the second half. The Spurs’ entire starting lineup reached double digits in point production, as did deep reserve Quincy Pondexter, an ex-Pelican.
New Orleans dropped its third straight game, in the thick of a very difficult stretch of schedule, which continues next week with a mid-week back-to-back against Houston and Denver, as well as a rematch with San Antonio in Texas.
IT WAS OVER WHEN…
Pau Gasol threw down a two-hand dunk with seven-plus minutes remaining, giving San Antonio a 113-94 lead, its largest of the game at that stage. Two Pelicans players ran to the corner to defend a Spur near the three-point arc, leaving Gasol open for an easy slam, a sequence symbolizing New Orleans’ defensive woes. San Antonio tallied the fourth-most points of any visiting team in the Smoothie King Center this season.
PELICANS PLAYER OF THE GAME
Holiday did damage in every area of the game offensively – sinking pull-up two-point jumpers, draining three-point shots as the only Pelican who excelled from deep, making frequent trips to the foul line. Holiday led New Orleans with 29 points, featuring 3/6 shooting from three-point range and an 8/12 outing on free throws. He added seven of his team’s 41 rebounds. Okafor notched 24 points and 15 rebounds, one of the top statistical performances of his NBA career.
FOCUS ON: TRYING TO STAY POSITIVE
New Orleans is in the midst of a perfect storm of negative circumstances: losing most of its recent games; watching a few West teams such as Utah put together solid stretches that have increased the gap between the Pelicans and eighth place; and encountering a very challenging schedule that makes it even more difficult to get wins. With 32 games remaining, including nine more before the All-Star break, Alvin Gentry said his team is focused on plowing ahead and not giving in, despite how things have gone lately.
“We’re not giving up on our season, if that’s what everybody thinks,” Gentry said. “We’ve just got to keep plugging away, and some kind of way, we’re going to get this thing turned around.”
“We have a pretty good attitude,” Holiday said of the approach. “Guys are here to step up and to play, excited to play and have a chance to really contribute… I think we’re a pretty positive team.”
Holiday noted that the Pelicans are going through an obvious adjustment period with several different players on the court and combinations that haven’t been seen all season. “You’ve got guys who didn’t play in 18 or 20 games, getting a chance to play now. It’s a chance for people to figure things out, to come in and showcase your talent. Sometimes we’re undersized, but we have to work harder, communicate even more, help each other even more on defense. It’s sometimes we’ll have to work through together.”
BY THE NUMBERS
51-41: San Antonio rebounding advantage. Gentry noted that with several bigs out of action, the Pelicans dealt with numerous mismatches, including 6-foot-7 Solomon Hill starting the game on 7-footer Gasol.
11/24: Spurs three-point shooting, led by Marco Belinelli’s three makes in seven attempts.