New Orleans Pelicans @ San Antonio Spurs
Sunday, December 17, 2023 at 3:30 PM ET
Frost Bank Center, San Antonio, TX | Game ID: 22300345
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
SAS 20 31 27 32 110NOP 33 28 44 41 146
ESPN UpdateESPN Update
Pelicans set franchise record with 22 3-pointers, roll past Wembanyama, Spurs 146-110
SAN ANTONIO -- — CJ McCollum scored 29 points, Brandon Ingram added 26 and the New Orleans Pelicans set a franchise record with 22 3-pointers in rolling past Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs 146-110 on Sunday.
It marked the fourth time the Spurs have lost by 36 points or more this season after seven such losses last season under Gregg Popovich.
“They had a great night shooting. We couldn’t throw it in the ocean," Popovich said. "But on top of shooting well, they played very well. We weren’t as sharp as we needed to be and got whooped, real good.”
Wembanyama was one of the few highlights.
He had 17 points and 13 rebounds in front of former San Antonio All-Star Tony Parker, his childhood idol in France and later mentor. Wembanyama’s eighth consecutive double-double surpassed the previous NBA record by a teenager of seven straight set by Dwight Howard in 2005.
The Spurs unveiled a Hall of Fame designation on Parker’s retired jersey during a halftime ceremony. Parker was inducted in August along with San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich and former Spurs assistant Becky Hammon, along with Pau Gasol, Dwyane Wade and Dirk Nowitzki.
Parker’s ceremony was the only time Spurs fans at the Frost Bank Center were able to have a sustained celebration Sunday.
Wembanyama kept his right arm aloft after draining a 3-pointer that cut New Orleans’ advantage to 58-49 with 53 seconds remaining in first half. Ingram silenced the crowd nine seconds later with his own 3.
It was a response the Pelicans had all game. New Orleans was 22 for 42 on 3-pointers.
The Pelicans have won four straight since losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in the semifinals of the In-Season Tournament.
“We’re winning,” Zion Williamson said. “Winning cures everything.”
The Spurs lost two days after snapping a franchise-record, 18-game skid with a victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. San Antonio is 2-19 since Nov. 1 and 4-20 overall, the worst in the Western Conference and above only Detroit (2-24) in the league.
San Antonio has the youngest roster in the league, but its youngest player said consistency is a bigger factor.
“It might explain it, but it doesn’t mean it’s OK,” Wembanyama said. “We’re not trying to find any excuses. Any team’s goal is to try to be consistent. We’re underway, but there’s no excuses.”
Wembanyama made his first two shots, a sweeping hook on a drive past Ingram and a two-handed dunk.
The Pelicans missed their first five attempts, including a breakaway dunk that Williamson fumbled out of bounds as he rose to the rim. Williamson smiled and shook his head from the time he lost the ball until he jogged back defensively.
The good fortune didn’t last for the Spurs.
The Pelicans went on a 12-2 run and built a 20-point lead in the first half. The Spurs have trailed by 20 points in eight games this season, losing all but one.
“Obviously, the first five minutes, we were playing great and then we kind of lost our energy,” the Spurs' Cedi Osman said. “I think that it was just their day, I would say.”
Williamson finished with 15 points.
“Our mentality is to go out there and take care of our jobs,” Pelicans coach Willie Green said. “It starts with the defense for us, making sure we contest shots and finish possessions.”
SAS KarmaHide StintsShow StintsHide PMShow PMHide KarmaShow KarmaHide ScoresShow Scores
Who
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
SASCO C. Osman
DG D. Graham
DM D. McDermott
DV D. Vassell
JC J. Champagnie
JS J. Sochan
KJ K. Johnson
MB M. Branham
SM S. Mamukelashvili
TJ T. Jones
VW V. Wembanyama
ZC Z. Collins
NOPBI B. Ingram
CM C. McCollum
CZ C. Zeller
DD D. Daniels
HJ H. Jones
JA J. Alvarado
JH J. Hawkins
JR J. Robinson-Earl
JV J. Valančiūnas
NM N. Marshall
TM T. Murphy III
VA Valanciunas
ZW Z. Williamson
SAS/NOP 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
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