Game ID: 22300278
San Antonio Spurs @ New Orleans Pelicans
Friday, December 1, 2023 at 8:00 PM ET
Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, LA
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
NOP 32 31 26 32 121SAS 31 30 20 25 106
NOP vs SAS ScoutingNOP vs SAS Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
NOP availability going into 11/24 · 1 day's restOUT McCollum missed 9 since 11/06, out tonight
OUT Ryan missed 2 since 11/20, out tonight
BACK Jones back 11/14 after 3, 32 min since (105% of 31)
BACK Nance Jr. back 11/22 after 4, 12 min since (62% of 20)
BACK Alvarado back 11/20 after 2, 17 min since (93% of 18)
NEW Daniels 22 to 31 min over the last 5
NEW Hawkins 17 to 29 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 11/25 · back-to-backOUT McCollum missed 10 since 11/06, out tonight
OUT Ryan missed 3 since 11/20, out tonight
BACK Nance Jr. back 11/22 after 4, 16 min since (82% of 20)
BACK Alvarado back 11/20 after 2, 16 min since (90% of 18)
NEW Daniels 22 to 32 min over the last 5
NEW Hawkins 17 to 27 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 11/27 · 1 day's restOUT McCollum missed 11 since 11/06, out tonight
OUT Ryan missed 4 since 11/20, out tonight
BACK Nance Jr. back 11/22 after 4, 15 min since (74% of 20)
BACK Alvarado back 11/20 after 2, 18 min since (99% of 18)
NEW Daniels 22 to 32 min over the last 5
NEW Hawkins 17 to 29 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 11/29 · 1 day's restOUT McCollum missed 12 since 11/06, returns tonight: 28 min (85% of 33)
OUT Ryan missed 5 since 11/20, out tonight
BACK Nance Jr. back 11/22 after 4, 13 min since (67% of 20)
BACK Alvarado back 11/20 after 2, 17 min since (95% of 18)
NEW Daniels 22 to 29 min over the last 5
NEW Marshall 19 to 24 min over the last 5
NEW Hawkins 17 to 27 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 12/01 · 1 day's restOUT Ryan missed 6 since 11/20, out tonight
BACK McCollum back 11/29 after 12, 28 min since (85% of 33)
BACK Nance Jr. back 11/22 after 4, 13 min since (67% of 20)
NEW Valančiūnas 23 to 29 min over the last 5
NEW Daniels 22 to 27 min over the last 5
NEW Hawkins 17 to 26 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 12/02 · back-to-backOUT Nance Jr. missed 2 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Ryan missed 7 since 11/20, out tonight
BACK McCollum back 11/29 after 12, 33 min since (101% of 33)
NEW Valančiūnas 23 to 29 min over the last 5
NEW Hawkins 17 to 25 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 12/04 · 1 day's restOUT Nance Jr. missed 3 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Ryan missed 8 since 11/20, out tonight
BACK McCollum back 11/29 after 12, 33 min since (101% of 33)
NEW Valančiūnas 23 to 31 min over the last 5
NEW Hawkins 17 to 26 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 12/07 · 2 days' restOUT Nance Jr. missed 4 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Ryan missed 9 since 11/20, out tonight
BACK McCollum back 11/29 after 12, 34 min since (103% of 33)
NEW Valančiūnas 23 to 31 min over the last 5
NEW Hawkins 17 to 22 min over the last 4
NOP availability going into 12/11 · 3 days' restOUT Nance Jr. missed 5 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Ryan missed 10 since 11/20, out tonight
BACK McCollum back 11/29 after 12, 32 min since (97% of 33)
NEW Valančiūnas 23 to 30 min over the last 5
SAS availability going into 11/22 · 1 day's restOUT Vassell missed 3 since 11/17, returns tonight: 27 min (81% of 33)
OUT Wesley missed 2 since 11/18, out tonight
OUT Graham missed 3 since 11/17, out tonight
BACK Jones back 11/18 after 3, 22 min since (80% of 28)
BACK Champagnie back 11/14 after 2, 25 min since (125% of 20)
BACK Barlow back 11/14 after 2, 4 min since (31% of 13)
BACK Cissoko back 11/20 after 8, 4 min since (36% of 12)
NEW Collins 22 to 30 min over the last 5
SAS availability going into 11/24 · 1 day's restOUT Wesley missed 3 since 11/18, out tonight
OUT Graham missed 4 since 11/17, out tonight
BACK Vassell back 11/22 after 3, 27 min since (81% of 33)
BACK Jones back 11/18 after 3, 21 min since (77% of 28)
BACK Champagnie back 11/14 after 2, 25 min since (125% of 20)
BACK Barlow back 11/14 after 2, 6 min since (44% of 13)
BACK Cissoko back 11/20 after 8, 4 min since (36% of 12)
NEW Collins 22 to 29 min over the last 5
SAS availability going into 11/26 · 1 day's restOUT Champagnie missed 2 since 11/22, returns tonight: 17 min (85% of 20)
OUT Wesley missed 4 since 11/18, out tonight
OUT Graham missed 5 since 11/17, returns tonight: 6 min (48% of 14)
OUT Cissoko missed 2 since 11/22, out tonight
BACK Vassell back 11/22 after 3, 27 min since (82% of 33)
BACK Jones back 11/18 after 3, 20 min since (73% of 28)
NEW Collins 22 to 29 min over the last 5
SAS availability going into 11/30 · 3 days' restOUT Wesley missed 5 since 11/18, out tonight
OUT Barlow missed 2 since 11/24, out tonight
OUT Cissoko missed 3 since 11/22, out tonight
BACK Vassell back 11/22 after 3, 27 min since (81% of 33)
BACK Jones back 11/18 after 3, 21 min since (74% of 28)
BACK Champagnie back 11/26 after 2, 17 min since (85% of 20)
BACK Graham back 11/26 after 5, 6 min since (48% of 14)
SAS availability going into 12/01 · back-to-backOUT Wesley missed 6 since 11/18, returns tonight: 3 min (19% of 14)
OUT Barlow missed 3 since 11/24, returns tonight: 3 min (22% of 13)
OUT Cissoko missed 4 since 11/22, out tonight
BACK Vassell back 11/22 after 3, 27 min since (81% of 33)
BACK Champagnie back 11/26 after 2, 18 min since (93% of 20)
BACK Graham back 11/26 after 5, 6 min since (48% of 14)
NEW Collins 22 to 28 min over the last 5
SAS availability going into 12/06 · 4 days' restOUT McDermott missed 2 since 11/30, returns tonight: 22 min (145% of 15)
OUT Graham missed 2 since 11/30, out tonight
OUT Cissoko missed 5 since 11/22, out tonight
BACK Vassell back 11/22 after 3, 27 min since (81% of 33)
BACK Champagnie back 11/26 after 2, 20 min since (99% of 20)
BACK Wesley back 12/01 after 6, 3 min since (19% of 14)
BACK Barlow back 12/01 after 3, 3 min since (22% of 13)
NEW Collins 22 to 27 min over the last 5
SAS availability going into 12/08 · 1 day's restOUT Graham missed 3 since 11/30, out tonight
OUT Cissoko missed 6 since 11/22, out tonight
BACK Champagnie back 11/26 after 2, 16 min since (79% of 20)
BACK McDermott back 12/06 after 2, 22 min since (145% of 15)
BACK Wesley back 12/01 after 6, 3 min since (19% of 14)
BACK Barlow back 12/01 after 3, 3 min since (22% of 13)
NEW Collins 22 to 27 min over the last 5
SAS availability going into 12/11 · 2 days' restOUT Wesley missed 2 since 12/06, out tonight
OUT Graham missed 4 since 11/30, out tonight
OUT Barlow missed 2 since 12/06, out tonight
OUT Cissoko missed 7 since 11/22, out tonight
OUT Bassey missed 2 since 12/06, not on tonight's roster
BACK Champagnie back 11/26 after 2, 14 min since (69% of 20)
BACK McDermott back 12/06 after 2, 18 min since (121% of 15)
SAS availability going into 12/13 · 1 day's restOUT Wesley missed 3 since 12/06, out tonight
OUT Graham missed 5 since 11/30, out tonight
OUT Barlow missed 3 since 12/06, out tonight
OUT Cissoko missed 8 since 11/22, out tonight
BACK McDermott back 12/06 after 2, 17 min since (114% of 15)
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New Orleans comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 110, shooting 48 percent and 32 from three, 28 free throws a game; Williamson at 29 and Ingram at 24 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. One day's rest. San Antonio comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 124, shooting 45 percent and 32 from three, 20 free throws a game; Vassell at 22 and Wembanyama at 19 a game. That is 5 straight losses. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: New Orleans wins, and the game turns on the defense, New Orleans allowing 110 a night to San Antonio's 124 and the line, where New Orleans takes 28 free throws a game to San Antonio's 20. Call it New Orleans 121, San Antonio 110, New Orleans by 11.
11/24 @ LAC 116-106 — NOP notes
NOP won 116-106. NOP shot 49% (43 of 88) to LAC's 46%, 10 of 24 from three, and went to the line 27 times to LAC's 17 — 20 points from the stripe to their 11. The glass went 50-39 for them. Williamson led with 32 (13 of 25, 6 of 9 at the line); Ingram added 30, Jones 14. The hinge was Q1, 36-23: from level to 13 ahead, and the lead reached 21. Jones was the night's best plus/minus at +22.
11/25 @ UTA 100-105 — NOP notes
NOP lost 100-105. NOP shot 42% (39 of 93) to UTA's 44%, 11 of 36 from three. NOP turned it over 13 times to UTA's 23. The glass went 42-52 against them. Ingram led with 26 (10 of 22, 1 of 4 from three, 5 of 8 at the line); Hawkins added 25, Jones 13. Q1 was theirs, 29-22, but the other 3 periods went 83-71 against them. They led by as many as 13. Daniels's -18 in 34 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/27 @ UTA 112-114 — NOP notes
NOP lost 112-114. NOP shot 50% (44 of 88) to UTA's 42%, 7 of 22 from three. Williamson led with 26 (9 of 16, 7 of 9 at the line); Ingram added 25, Valančiūnas 14. Q2 was theirs, 31-25, the deficit cut from 8 to 2, but the other 3 periods went 89-81 against them. Jones's -10 in 32 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/29 vs PHI 124-114 — NOP notes
NOP won 124-114. NOP shot 54% (42 of 78) to PHI's 52%, 10 of 30 from three, and went to the line 34 times to PHI's 18 — 30 points from the stripe to their 16. The glass went 40-30 for them. Williamson led with 33 (11 of 12, 11 of 12 at the line); McCollum added 20, Valančiūnas 19. The hinge was Q1, 39-24: from level to 15 ahead, and the lead reached 29. McCollum was the night's best plus/minus at +19.
12/01 vs SAS 121-106 — NOP notes
NOP won 121-106. NOP shot 49% (42 of 85) to SAS's 46%, 10 of 31 from three, and went to the line 29 times to SAS's 17 — 27 points from the stripe to their 14. NOP turned it over 11 times to SAS's 19. Valančiūnas led with 24 (9 of 12, 6 of 7 at the line); McCollum added 19, Murphy III 18. The hinge was Q4, 32-25: a lead of 8 became 15. McCollum was the night's best plus/minus at +16.
12/02 @ CHI — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Chicago comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 118, shooting 45 percent and 38 from three, 20 free throws a game; DeRozan at 22 and White at 20 a game. One day's rest. New Orleans comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 109, shooting 49 percent and 34 from three, 27 free throws a game; Williamson at 26 and Ingram at 22 a game. Without Nance Jr. (2 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: New Orleans wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where New Orleans has been plus-4 a night and Chicago minus-3 and the defense, New Orleans allowing 109 a night to Chicago's 118. Call it New Orleans 113, Chicago 111, Chicago keeping it close.
12/04 @ SAC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Sacramento comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 120, shooting 47 percent and 38 from three, 26 free throws a game; Fox at 31 and Monk at 18 a game. One day's rest. New Orleans comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 113, shooting 49 percent and 32 from three, 28 free throws a game; Williamson at 24 and Ingram at 21 a game. Without Nance Jr. (3 straight). One day's rest.
So: Sacramento wins, and the game turns on the arc, Sacramento at 38 percent from three to New Orleans's 32 and the defense, New Orleans allowing 113 a night to Sacramento's 120. Call it Sacramento 117, New Orleans 115, New Orleans keeping it close.
12/07 @ LAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Lakers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 116, shooting 45 percent and 31 from three, 27 free throws a game; Davis at 26 and James at 22 a game. Without Vincent (18 straight). One day's rest. New Orleans comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 115, shooting 51 percent and 35 from three, 29 free throws a game; Williamson at 22 and Ingram at 21 a game. It has won the glass by 4 a night. Without Nance Jr. (4 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: New Orleans wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where New Orleans has been plus-4 a night and the Lakers minus-4 and the arc, New Orleans at 35 percent from three to the Lakers' 31. Call it New Orleans 115, the Lakers 114, the Lakers keeping it close.
12/11 vs MIN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New Orleans comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 119, shooting 48 percent and 33 from three, 28 free throws a game; Williamson at 19 and Ingram at 18 a game. Without Nance Jr. (5 straight). 3 days' rest. Minnesota comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 101, shooting 46 percent and 37 from three, 24 free throws a game; Towns at 22 and Gobert at 18 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has won the glass by 9 a night. Without McDaniels (8 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Minnesota wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Minnesota allowing 101 a night to New Orleans's 119 and the glass, where Minnesota has been plus-9 a night and New Orleans minus-0. Call it Minnesota 113, New Orleans 110, New Orleans keeping it close.
11/22 vs LAC 102-109 — SAS notes
SAS lost 102-109. SAS shot 38% (35 of 91) to LAC's 46%, 11 of 38 from three, and got to the line 23 times to LAC's 29. Wembanyama led with 22 (7 of 13, 7 of 7 at the line); Sochan added 19, Vassell 18. Q2 was theirs, 34-28, the deficit cut from 12 to 6, but the other 3 periods went 81-68 against them. Osman's -18 in 19 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/24 @ GSW 112-118 — SAS notes
SAS lost 112-118. SAS took 19 more shots (100 to 81), fed by 15 offensive rebounds, but shot 45% to GSW's 49%, 12 of 47 from three, and got to the line just 12 times against 18 fouls committed. SAS turned it over 19 times to GSW's 24. Vassell led with 24 (10 of 19, 4 of 10 from three); Wembanyama added 22, Johnson 22. Q1 was theirs, 35-32, but the other 3 periods went 86-77 against them. They led by as many as 10. Jones's -10 in 17 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/26 @ DEN 120-132 — SAS notes
SAS lost 120-132. SAS shot 45% (42 of 93) to DEN's 56%, 14 of 37 from three. The glass went 35-45 against them. Wembanyama led with 22 (7 of 17, 2 of 5 from three, 6 of 7 at the line); Vassell added 19, Branham 15. Q4 was theirs, 36-25, the deficit cut from 23 to 12, but the other 3 periods went 107-84 against them. Johnson's -16 in 31 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/30 vs ATL 135-137 — SAS notes
SAS lost 135-137. SAS shot 54% (48 of 89) to ATL's 51%, 18 of 41 from three, and got to the line 23 times to ATL's 29. SAS turned it over 21 times to ATL's 10, and ATL turned those into 14 steals. The glass went 47-37 for them. Sochan led with 33 (12 of 14, 3 of 3 from three, 6 of 6 at the line); Vassell added 25, Johnson 22. Q1 was theirs, 35-26, but the other 3 periods went 111-100 against them. They led by as many as 15. Champagnie's -6 in 20 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/01 @ NOP 106-121 — SAS notes
SAS lost 106-121. SAS shot 46% (38 of 83) to NOP's 49%, 16 of 39 from three, and got to the line 17 times to NOP's 29. SAS turned it over 19 times to NOP's 11, and NOP turned those into 8 steals. Vassell led with 14 (5 of 12, 2 of 7 from three); Sochan added 13, Collins 12. Q1 was theirs, 31-32, but the other 3 periods went 89-75 against them. Collins's -18 in 24 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/06 @ MIN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Minnesota comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 106, shooting 47 percent and 39 from three, 25 free throws a game; Edwards at 27 and Towns at 24 a game. That is 4 straight wins. Without Edwards (2 straight), McDaniels (6 straight). 3 days' rest. San Antonio comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 123, shooting 46 percent and 35 from three, 20 free throws a game; Wembanyama at 22 and Vassell at 20 a game. That is 5 straight losses. Without McDermott (2 straight). 4 days' rest.
So: Minnesota wins, and the game turns on the defense, Minnesota allowing 106 a night to San Antonio's 123 and the line, where Minnesota takes 25 free throws a game to San Antonio's 20. Call it Minnesota 119, San Antonio 109, Minnesota by 10.
12/08 vs CHI — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
San Antonio comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 122, shooting 45 percent and 34 from three, 19 free throws a game; Vassell at 21 and Wembanyama at 19 a game. That is 5 straight losses. One day's rest. Chicago comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 115, shooting 47 percent and 39 from three, 21 free throws a game; DeRozan at 25 and White at 23 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Without LaVine (3 straight). One day's rest.
So: Chicago wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Chicago allowing 115 a night to San Antonio's 122 and the arc, Chicago at 39 percent from three to San Antonio's 34. Call it Chicago 115, San Antonio 114, San Antonio keeping it close.
12/11 @ HOU — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Houston comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 114, shooting 47 percent and 36 from three, 26 free throws a game; Sengun at 22 and Ja. Green at 18 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Without Thompson (15 straight), Whitmore (2 straight). 2 days' rest. San Antonio comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 123, shooting 46 percent and 37 from three, 20 free throws a game; Wembanyama at 19 and Vassell at 18 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 4 a night. 2 days' rest.
So: Houston wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Houston has been plus-5 a night and San Antonio minus-4 and the defense, Houston allowing 114 a night to San Antonio's 123. Call it Houston 118, San Antonio 110.
12/13 vs LAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
San Antonio comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 115, shooting 44 percent and 32 from three, 19 free throws a game; Wembanyama at 17 and Johnson at 17 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 4 a night. One day's rest. The Lakers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 110, shooting 47 percent and 39 from three, 26 free throws a game; Davis at 28 and James at 26 a game. Without Vincent (20 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: The Lakers win, on the road, and the game turns on the arc, the Lakers at 39 percent from three to San Antonio's 32 and the glass, where the Lakers have been plus-2 a night and San Antonio minus-4. Call it the Lakers 115, San Antonio 111, San Antonio keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
NOPBI B. Ingram
CM C. McCollum
CZ C. Zeller
DD D. Daniels
HJ H. Jones
JH J. Hawkins
JV J. Valančiūnas
NM N. Marshall
TM T. Murphy III
VA Valanciunas
ZW Z. Williamson
SASCB C. Bassey
CO C. Osman
DB D. Barlow
DV D. Vassell
JC J. Champagnie
JS J. Sochan
KJ K. Johnson
MB M. Branham
SM S. Mamukelashvili
TJ T. Jones
WE Wesley
ZC Z. Collins
NOP/SAS the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
With Wembanyama out for San Antonio, Pelicans extend Spurs' skid to 14 games
NEW ORLEANS -- — 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.