For about 12 minutes, it looked like the San Antonio Spurs were going to pull off a big comeback against the New Orleans Pelicans. After going down 20 points in the third quarter, the Spurs came all the way
back to take a 5-point lead with 5 minutes to go in the game. San Antonio couldn’t sustain the lead as New Orleans came away with a 104-95 upset victory.
The Spurs’ comeback started midway through the third quarter when Mitch Johnson subbed out his five starters for a bench lineup that included rookies Dylan Harper and Carter Bryant. The two first-year players immediately brought energy and helped the team get back in the game. Bryant has looked great in his last few outings. He’s been confident and aggressive in his minutes. Bryant had 6 points on a pair of threes in his 7 minutes.
Harper did what he does best – get downhill and make things happen in the open court. He had 5 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists off the bench. They aren’t eye-popping stats, but he provided a real spark when the team needed it.
Harper has caught a few defenders off guard this season with his bounce. At 6-6, he has the size to finish over the top in transition, even if he isn’t a high-flying athlete.
The game was Devin Vassell’s first in a month. He did exactly what you’d expect with 13 points off the bench. Vassell knocked down shots and gave the Spurs another floor-spacer from deep. It’s nice to know that a skip pass to the corner is going to fall into the hands of a shooter like Vassell.
Vassell’s tough shot-making ability will be a huge help for the Spurs as they enter the second half of the season. Vassell knocked down a few contested shots on Sunday night, including this tough mid-range jumper off the baseline out-of-bounds play.
Victor Wembanyama got in on the highlight action despite a relatively quiet night. Wemby had 16 points, 16 rebounds, and 4 blocks. This poster slam over Derrick Queen was Blake Griffen-esque. Just a big man throwing the ball into the basket through contact.
This sequence included some classic Wembanyama defense. He just had to go straight up against the smaller Yves Missi. He blocks him twice to stop the Pelicans’ big man from a sure layup.
We got a rare Area 51 sighting on Sunday night. It’s been a while since these two have found each other in the half-court, but here Stephon Castle draws two defenders and then finds the big man for the lob.
Next, San Antonio will travel to Houston for a rematch with the Rockets on Wednesday night. Catch the full game highlights from Sunday’s game below.
