Spurs blow another big lead in second straight loss to Pelicans

It didn’t get out of hand this time, but the Spurs’ struggles with protecting comfortable leads continue.

With the schedule not getting any easier, the Spurs found themselves facing the New Orleans Pelicans for a second straight time, hoping to take advantage of a team with a worse record and similar injury issues — plus banking on the idea that bad teams rarely sweep miniseries — but it was not meant to be. In a similar theme to Sunday’s match-up, the Spurs got out to a big lead, leading by as much as 19 early in the second quarter before the Pelicans came roaring back to steal another win.

After a poor shooting night from three on Sunday, the Spurs started better with Harrison Barnes hitting his first three threes, and they attacked the passing lanes on defense to get out to a 23-8 lead midway through the first quarter. The offense went a little cold for a spell, but the defense remained elite despite the Pelicans’ bench unit trying to pick up the pace, and Spurs led 30-16 on a Jeremy Sochan buzzer-beater floater after the first 12 minutes.

They continued to stretch the lead 35-16 early in the second quarter, but per usual, the question was could they protect it. Similar to the last game (and — checks notes — 32 others over the last two seasons), the answer was no. They again couldn’t get over the 20-point threshold, and Mitch Johnson had to call a timeout after New Orleans had cut the lead to 11, 39-28, off back-to-back threes. He soon had to call another timeout the lead was cut to 49-42 after a spate of turnovers, and the Spurs couldn’t stop the Pelicans in transition, even off their own makes. By halftime, the lead had dwindled all the way down to two, 51-49.

If there was one difference from the last game, it was that the Spurs actually responded after the break. Devin Vassell finally started attacking the paint to bust out of his games-long slump to start the third quarter, getting seven quick points to get the lead back out to nine. Overall, it wasn’t the prettiest offensive quarter for either team, but that was to the Spurs’ advantage, and they actually won the quarter to maintain the lead, heading into the fourth up 83-79.

Unfortunately, they could hold on no longer as the Pelicans scored the first six points of the quarter to take their first lead of the game. The Spurs’ rebounding struggles continued against the bigger Pelicans lineups, but to their credit, they kept fighting, which was more than could be said for Sunday. They briefly retook the lead at 100-99 with 4:27 left on a De’Aaron Fox three, but that was all they could muster up. The Pelicans went on an 8-0 run over the next two minutes, and that was too much for the Spurs to overcome as they fell 103-109.

Game Notes

• Mitch Johnson said after the last game that Devin Vassell needs to get out of his own head regarding his slump. You could see his frustration with himself in past games when he missed shots, but his body language was better tonight. Despite a slow start, he finally saw a three fall in the second quarter, and as previously mentioned, in the second half he stopped settling for jumpers and started attacking the rim. He finished the game with 20 points, and while he only shot 6-16 from the field, he was 6-12 after the first quarter and went a perfect 6-6 from the line. It wasn’t his greatest game ever, but it was a performance that he desperately needed and will hopefully act as a slump-buster.
• Speaking of slumps, Vassell’s has kind of overshadowed Stephon Castle’s post-All-Star break slump. He once again was mostly invisible when he was out there, with his shots coming up short and his decision making being poor. He only played 12 minutes tonight with 4 points and 3 turnovers, and while some will say his slump is because he’s coming off the bench (it wasn’t a problem before the break, so why would it be now?), the low minutes may be the coaching staff trying to give him the breather he didn’t get during the break. That being said, he too will need a chance to play out of his slump, so sooner than later, they will have to ramp up his role again.
• Turnovers giveth, and turnovers taketh away. Both teams had a horrible time protecting the ball, with the Spurs conceding 26 points off 20 turnovers, and the Pelicans giving it away 19 times for 25 Spurs points. That may make everything seem like a wash, but the timing was crucial. When the Spurs got out big early and made their small runs in the second half to keep things close, it came from playing the passing lanes for 14 steals. However, that was also how the Pelicans got themselves back in the game, and they also killed the Spurs on the fast break 23-5, frustratingly off of made baskets at times. The Spurs are going to be at a talent disadvantage for most nights the rest of the season, so they have to take care of the ball and get back on defense to stand a chance.

Play of the Game

Sandro Mamukelashvili got 12 minutes at backup center with Charles Bassey out again, and while the threes weren’t falling, he always finds ways to contribute, like this high flying dunk on the second effort.

Up next: Wednesday at Houston Rockets

The Spurs will hop over the Sabine River for the penultimate game of the Rodeo Road Trip against a Rockets team that is starting to regain its footing after a mid-season slump. Tip-off will be at 8:30 PM CT on ESPN and CW35.