Zion Williamson and the Pelicans play a bad trick on the Spurs

The lowest ranked team in the West, the Pelicans are still capable of making a splash. Two days after theirs victory in MemphisJames Borrego’s men went to a much more prestigious success, on the floor of the Spurs (95-104) with Victor Vembanyama in a double-double (16 points and 16 rebounds), but struggled behind the arc (2/10).

At a meeting marked by numerous “runs” and general awkwardness, Zion Williamson etc Saddiq Bey he finished well with the same statistical line with 24 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists. The two were the driving force in the first period, which turned into an advantage for the guests.

Williamson has gained speed significantly” Wemby » several times in the half court, including finishing with a right-handed dunk. With the Texans having a lot of trouble being valuable on offense, the NOLA players took advantage of the opportunity to return to the locker room with a three-possession lead (47-56). Surprisingly, this gap would worsen after going to the locker room.

Zion Williamson left-handed again, Herbert Jones on the line or even Sadiq Bey flexing his muscles: the Pelicans dominated the debates inside and were now 19 points ahead (53-72). Seven minutes into the third quarter, Mitch Johnson then made the radical decision to release all of his starters.

The Spurs are back in action

But we’ll have to wait a few more minutes and the return of the Victor Vembanyama-De’Aaron Fox tandem to witness the local riot: 16-0 at the end of the third and the beginning of the fourth, which was started by a reward basket from the returner Devin Vassell. The momentum changed sides, “Wemby” even regained his 3-point skill.

Frustrated by the whistle, rookie Derrick Quinn even received a technical foul as he returned to his bench. The Spurs set their pace again, and Wassel found Julian Champagne under the circle (92-87). The locals just went 29-5 in 10 minutes. We thought the match was “folded”, only the Pelicans prevented an “alley” between Fox and his French giant before Williamson’s criss-crossing escape on the counterattack (93-93).

Then Trey Murphy III broke his offensive silence by converting a game-winning 3-pointer before following up with a floater. The Spurs, once again out of rhythm, would then miss… four straight free throws as Yves Misi would make a power play dunk. The Pelicans finished the game with a 17-3 victory!

WHAT TO REMEMBER

A festival of awkwardness. Vembaniam? 2/10 away. Champagne, in great shape? 1/7. Devin Vassell coming out of the infirmary? 2/8. The Spurs made just 27 percent of their 3-point attempts, dragging their overall skill — just 40 percent — down, given that they took more than half of their shots from behind the arc. The Spurs also left 13 points at the free-throw line (19/32), including four from Wembey and Keldon Johnson with two minutes left. Their opponents were not much more inspiring in terms of skill (also 40%), but they managed to score 24 more points in the racket (56-32).

Pelicans avoid sweeping. Spurs have already beaten their evening opponents three times this season. Never much: Overtime win for their 2nd game of the year, then two more 7’s and 3’s. This surprising victory for James Borrego’s men allows them to count as many successes as the Kings (12v-35d) who, for their part, have five losses in a row. The Pels (12v-36d) are therefore likely to leave their last place soon.

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How to read statistics? Min = Minute; Shots = Shots Successful / Shots Attempted; 3 points = 3 points / attempt 3 points; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive jump; T = Total number of jumps; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal mistakes; Int = intercepts; Bp = lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = point difference when the player is on the court; Points = Points; Rating: player rating calculated based on positive actions – negative actions.