With Wembanyama out for San Antonio, Pelicans extend Spurs' skid to 14 games
NEW ORLEANS (AP) With Jonas Valanciunas asserting himself near the basket and Trey Murphy hitting timely 3-pointers in his first appearance of the season, the New Orleans Pelicans didn't need big games from usual top scorers Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram.
It also helped that their opponent was the reeling San Antonio Spurs, who haven't won a game in weeks and were without top overall draft choice Victor Wembanyama.
Valanciunas had 24 points and 12 rebounds, Murphy hit four second-half 3s to finish with 18 points and the Pelicans beat San Antonio 121-106 on Friday night to send the Spurs to their 14th straight loss.
“It’s a blessing to have the guys available that can come in a produce right away," Pelicans coach Willie Green said, adding that “getting Trey back was huge,” and that the Spurs “didn’t have an answer” for Valanciunas in the paint.
“I was just physical, going for offensive boards, crashing, doing my stuff as I usually do,” Valanciunas said after his eighth double-double this season.
The 7-foot-3 Wembanyama was held out because of right hip tightness. San Antonio's losing streak is now its second-longest. The Spurs lost 16 in a row last season, when they finished 22-60 and won the NBA draft lottery.
CJ McCollum scored 19 points and Herb Jones added 17 points and three steals for New Orleans, which won its second straight.
Murphy missed New Orleans' first 19 games while rehabilitating from arthroscopic surgery to repair a meniscus tear in his left knee.
His first basket of the season was an end-to-end layup in transition. The 2023 All-Star Dunk contest runner-up later highlighted his return with a driving, soaring, tomahawk jam.
“Just seeing an open lane, I just had to get up there and show people I still got my athleticism,” said Murphy, who also went 4 of 10 from 3-point range.
Ingram scored 14 points, Williamson had 12 points and the pair had seven assists apiece as they took on more of a facilitator role than usual.
Wembanyama ’s absence came a night after he had 21 points, 12 rebounds and four blocked shots in a 137-135 loss to Atlanta in San Antonio.
The 7-foot-3 Frenchman missed a game for the first time after starting San Antonio’s first 18 games, during which he averaged 19.3 points, 9.7 rebounds and 2.7 blocks.
Devin Vassell led the Spurs in New Orleans with 14 points. Jeremy Sochan scored 13 points and Charles Bassey grabbed 11 rebounds.
“Great back-to-back effort, but the same bugaboos keep cropping up,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said, adding that his team's 19 turnovers “really put us behind the 8 ball, and we had a lot of undisciplined fouls.”
The issues with turnovers and fouls “are two things they just got to figure out,” Popovich added.
Most of the game was played with just two officials on the court after Scott Wall limped off in the first quarter, leaving Ed Malloy and Aaron Smith to carry on without him.
UP NEXT
Spurs: At Minnesota on Wednesday night.
Pelicans: At Chicago on Saturday night.
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| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 |  | Zach Collins vs. Jonas Valanciunas (CJ McCollum gains possession) | ||
| 11:43 | | Zach Collins blocks Brandon Ingram's two point driving layup | ||
| 11:41 |  | Keldon Johnson defensive rebound | ||
| 11:38 | | +3 | Julian Champagnie makes three point running jump shot (Keldon Johnson assists) | 3-0 |
| 11:17 | | +2 | Jonas Valanciunas makes two point floating jump shot (Brandon Ingram assists) | 3-2 |
| 10:58 | | +2 | Zach Collins makes two point jump shot | 5-2 |
| 10:43 | | Jonas Valanciunas misses two point jump shot | ||
| 10:42 | | Julian Champagnie defensive rebound | ||
| 10:29 | | +3 | Jeremy Sochan makes three point pullup jump shot (Zach Collins assists) | 8-2 |
| 10:12 | | CJ McCollum misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:10 | | Jeremy Sochan defensive rebound | ||
| 10:01 | | Zach Collins misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 9:59 | | CJ McCollum defensive rebound | ||
| 9:50 | | +2 | Jonas Valanciunas makes two point dunk (CJ McCollum assists) | 8-4 |
| 9:36 | | Malaki Branham turnover (lost ball) (Jonas Valanciunas steals) | ||
| 9:25 | | +2 | Jonas Valanciunas makes two point driving hook shot | 8-6 |
| 9:07 | | Julian Champagnie misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:04 | | Herbert Jones defensive rebound | ||
| 8:54 | | Julian Champagnie shooting foul (Brandon Ingram draws the foul) | ||
| 8:54 | | +1 | Brandon Ingram makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 8-7 |
| 8:54 | | +1 | Brandon Ingram makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 8-8 |
| 8:37 | | Malaki Branham misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 8:35 | | Zion Williamson defensive rebound | ||
| 8:21 | | Julian Champagnie shooting foul (Brandon Ingram draws the foul) | ||
| 8:21 | | +1 | Brandon Ingram makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 8-9 |
| 8:21 | | +1 | Brandon Ingram makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 8-10 |
| 8:02 | | +3 | Zach Collins makes three point bank jump shot (Jeremy Sochan assists) | 11-10 |
| 7:50 | | Brandon Ingram misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:49 | | Zach Collins defensive rebound | ||
| 7:48 | | Zach Collins turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 7:37 | | +2 | CJ McCollum makes two point stepback jump shot | 11-12 |
| 7:11 | | +2 | Cedi Osman makes two point driving finger roll layup | 13-12 |
| 6:48 | | Brandon Ingram misses three point jump shot | ||
| 6:45 | | Zach Collins defensive rebound | ||
| 6:40 | | +2 | Cedi Osman makes two point running finger roll layup | 15-12 |
| 6:31 | | +2 | Herbert Jones makes two point driving layup (CJ McCollum assists) | 15-14 |
| 6:31 | | Spurs 60 second timeout | ||
| 6:22 | | Jonas Valanciunas personal foul (Charles Bassey draws the foul) | ||
| 6:10 | | +3 | Cedi Osman makes three point jump shot (Tre Jones assists) | 18-14 |
| 5:52 | | Tre Jones shooting foul (Jonas Valanciunas draws the foul) | ||
| 5:52 | | +1 | Jonas Valanciunas makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 18-15 |
| 5:52 | | +1 | Jonas Valanciunas makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 18-16 |
| 5:37 | | +2 | Charles Bassey makes two point dunk (Cedi Osman assists) | 20-16 |
| 5:20 | | CJ McCollum misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 5:17 | | Tre Jones defensive rebound | ||
| 5:10 | | +3 | Devin Vassell makes three point pullup jump shot | 23-16 |
| 4:57 | | +3 | Herbert Jones makes three point jump shot (Trey Murphy III assists) | 23-19 |
| 4:38 | | Cedi Osman misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 4:36 | | Jonas Valanciunas defensive rebound | ||
| 4:28 | | +2 | CJ McCollum makes two point driving layup | 23-21 |
| 4:12 | | +2 | Charles Bassey makes two point alley-oop layup (Cedi Osman assists) | 25-21 |
| 3:59 | | Trey Murphy III misses three point jump shot | ||
| 3:57 | | Jonas Valanciunas offensive rebound | ||
| 3:55 | | +2 | Jonas Valanciunas makes two point putback layup | 25-23 |
| 3:42 | | Tre Jones turnover (bad pass) (Herbert Jones steals) | ||
| 3:37 | | +2 | Trey Murphy III makes two point running layup | 25-25 |
| 3:16 | | Jeremy Sochan turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 3:02 | | Brandon Ingram misses two point fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 3:00 | | Tre Jones defensive rebound | ||
| 2:53 | | +2 | Tre Jones makes two point driving layup | 27-25 |
| 2:38 | | Trey Murphy III misses three point jump shot | ||
| 2:36 | | Charles Bassey defensive rebound | ||
| 2:24 | | Tre Jones misses two point driving layup | ||
| 2:24 | | Spurs offensive rebound | ||
| 2:24 | | Pelicans 60 second timeout | ||
| 2:20 | | Devin Vassell misses three point jump shot | ||
| 2:16 | | Zion Williamson defensive rebound | ||
| 2:03 | | Trey Murphy III misses three point jump shot | ||
| 2:03 | | Cody Zeller offensive rebound | ||
| 2:03 | | Sandro Mamukelashvili shooting foul (Cody Zeller draws the foul) | ||
| 2:03 | | +1 | Cody Zeller makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 27-26 |
| 2:03 | | +1 | Cody Zeller makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 27-27 |
| 1:49 | | Jordan Hawkins personal foul (Cedi Osman draws the foul) | ||
| 1:39 | | Zach Collins misses three point jump shot | ||
| 1:37 | | Zach Collins offensive rebound | ||
| 1:37 | | Zion Williamson shooting foul (Zach Collins draws the foul) | ||
| 1:37 | | +1 | Zach Collins makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 28-27 |
| 1:37 | | +1 | Zach Collins makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 29-27 |
| 1:23 | | +3 | Jordan Hawkins makes three point jump shot (Zion Williamson assists) | 29-30 |
| 0:57 | | Trey Murphy III blocks Zach Collins's two point jump shot | ||
| 0:56 | | Spurs offensive rebound | ||
| 0:55 | | Spurs turnover (shot clock violation) | ||
| 0:42 | | Jordan Hawkins turnover (lost ball) (Devin Vassell steals) | ||
| 0:30 | | Cedi Osman misses three point jump shot | ||
| 0:28 | | Spurs offensive rebound | ||
| 0:28 | | Cody Zeller personal foul (Loose ball) (Zach Collins draws the foul) | ||
| 0:28 | | +1 | Zach Collins makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 30-30 |
| 0:28 | | +1 | Zach Collins makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 31-30 |
| 0:08 | | +2 | Trey Murphy III makes two point driving dunk (Zion Williamson assists) | 31-32 |
| 0:00 | | Cedi Osman misses three point jump shot | ||
| 0:00 | | Spurs offensive rebound | ||
| 0:00 | | End of period |
| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:36 | | Devin Vassell misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:32 | | Dyson Daniels defensive rebound | ||
| 11:25 | | Herbert Jones misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:22 | | Malaki Branham defensive rebound | ||
| 11:18 | | Malaki Branham misses two point running layup | ||
| 11:17 | | Zach Collins offensive rebound | ||
| 11:16 | | Dyson Daniels shooting foul (Zach Collins draws the foul) | ||
| 11:16 | | Zach Collins misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 11:16 | | Spurs offensive rebound | ||
| 11:16 | | +1 | Zach Collins makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 32-32 |
| 11:03 | | Zion Williamson misses two point driving layup | ||
| 11:00 | | Zion Williamson offensive rebound | ||
| 11:00 | | +2 | Zion Williamson makes two point tip layup | 32-34 |
| 10:37 | | Jump ball. Herbert Jones vs. Malaki Branham (Zion Williamson gains possession) | ||
| 10:37 | | Malaki Branham turnover (lost ball) (Herbert Jones steals) | ||
| 10:29 | | Devin Vassell personal foul (Zion Williamson draws the foul) | ||
| 10:22 | | Zach Collins shooting foul (Zion Williamson draws the foul) | ||
| 10:22 | | +1 | Zion Williamson makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 32-35 |
| 10:22 | | +1 | Zion Williamson makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 32-36 |
| 10:09 | | Keldon Johnson misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 10:06 | | Charles Bassey offensive rebound | ||
| 10:05 | | +3 | Keldon Johnson makes three point jump shot (Charles Bassey assists) | 35-36 |
| 9:55 | | +2 | Zion Williamson makes two point driving layup | 35-38 |
| 9:55 | | Charles Bassey shooting foul (Zion Williamson draws the foul) | ||
| 9:55 | | Zion Williamson misses regular free throw 1 of 1 | ||
| 9:52 | | Charles Bassey defensive rebound | ||
| 9:49 | | Tre Jones turnover (lost ball) (CJ McCollum steals) | ||
| 9:45 | | +2 | Zion Williamson makes two point running dunk (CJ McCollum assists) | 35-40 |
| 9:28 | | CJ McCollum blocks Tre Jones's two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 9:26 | | Tre Jones offensive rebound | ||
| 9:25 | | +2 | Tre Jones makes two point putback layup | 37-40 |
| 9:19 | | Keldon Johnson shooting foul (CJ McCollum draws the foul) | ||
| 9:19 | | +1 | CJ McCollum makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 37-41 |
| 9:19 | | +1 | CJ McCollum makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 37-42 |
| 9:05 | | Malaki Branham misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:01 | | Zion Williamson defensive rebound | ||
| 8:55 | | Jordan Hawkins misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 8:53 | | Keldon Johnson defensive rebound | ||
| 8:42 | | +2 | Charles Bassey makes two point cutting dunk (Julian Champagnie assists) | 39-42 |
| 8:31 | | Zion Williamson misses two point driving finger roll layup | ||
| 8:29 | | Keldon Johnson defensive rebound | ||
| 8:22 | | +2 | Jeremy Sochan makes two point pullup jump shot | 41-42 |
| 8:07 | | CJ McCollum misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 8:04 | | Jeremy Sochan defensive rebound | ||
| 7:59 | | Herbert Jones shooting foul (Keldon Johnson draws the foul) | ||
| 7:59 | | +1 | Keldon Johnson makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 42-42 |
| 7:59 | | +1 | Keldon Johnson makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 43-42 |
| 7:50 | | Brandon Ingram turnover (traveling) | ||
| 7:35 | | Brandon Ingram shooting foul (Jeremy Sochan draws the foul) | ||
| 7:35 | | Jeremy Sochan misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 7:35 | | Spurs offensive rebound | ||
| 7:35 | | +1 | Jeremy Sochan makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 44-42 |
| 7:22 |