San Antonio Spurs looks to get back on the winning track and even the season with New Orleans when they host the sinking Pelicans on Saturday.
Saturday’s game is the second of a home back-to back for Spurs as well as the final in a four-game home.
New Orleans (18-49) has already been eliminated from combat season, but San Antonio (27-38) still has a fleeting chance to make the Western Conference Play-in tournament. The spurs enters Play Saturday 4 1/2 matches behind 10th place Dallas Mavericks for the final position with 17 competitions left.
The spurs lost a decision on 145-134 to Charlotte on Friday and played for the first time in a month without star guard De’aaron Fox. The team announced on Thursday that Fox would miss the rest of the season with a broken ligament in his left pinkiefing.
On Friday, San Antonio could not slow down Charlotte’s points from the perimeter, go down by 26 points at the break and never seriously challenging the rest of the game.
Stephon Castle led Spurs with 26 points on Friday while Devin Vassell got 22. Jeremy Socan met for 14, Sandro Mamulashvili had 13 and Keldon Johnson and Julian Champagnie each added 12 points for San Antonio, who has lost four of their last five games.
“This league is too good to think you will be able to turn it on or turn a switch (to get back into the game),” Spurs as actor Mitch Johnson said. “We tried to do a run a couple of times – we fought. You could see the effort and competitiveness lift a little.
“But that’s not how this works. You are not sometimes rewarded for that type of effort or competitiveness or intensity without execution.”
Pelicans travel to Alamo City after a home loss of 113-93 to Orlando on Thursday.
New Orleans, led by Zion Williamson’s 20 points, eight returns and five assists, dragged 30 points in the event of a break and could do a little to compensate the deficit during the second half.
Trey Murphy III added 17 points in the back, while Jose Alvarado received 12 (all during the fourth quarter) for Pelicans, who has lost five of the last six games.
Jordan Hawkin’s consistent games have been a positive sign for the Pelicans, as the Second Year Guard has received points in double figures in nine of its last 11 competitions.
“He gets healthier,” said New Orleans coach Willie Green of Hawkins on Friday. “We make a commitment to be compatible with our minutes for Jordan. It helps, when you know you will play 20-plus minutes a game, you can prepare as well as it is good to see him come out on the floor and look more like himself.”
San Antonio won the first game between the team at home on December 8 before Pelicans won twice two matches in three days in February in New Orleans to take a lead in the season series.
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