Photos by Darren Carroll/NBAE via Getty Images Few players really showed up to try and start a winning streak. Maybe next time. One game after losing streak-busting, highlight real game against the Lakers, the same ‘ol Spurs were back for a Sunday matinee against the Pelicans. And by “same ol”, I mean the ones who lost 18 straight with some especially bad performances. This one was not helped by New Orleans being red hot all night, hitting a franchise record 22-42 from three on the way to handing the Spurs a 146-110 loss. No one stood out much, making it the type of game that’s harder to “highlight”, but we’ll do our best. Things started well enough for the Spurs, including Devin Vassll finding an open Victor Wembanyama for the alley-oop as they scored the first six points of the game before things quickly unraveled. UP TOP 
pic.twitter.com/LEjzmXaPry— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) December 17, 2023 Keldon Johnson would also find him on a cut later in the fourth quarter. TWO HANDS pic.twitter.com/S44KidIBro— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) December 17, 2023 Overall, Wemby had on okay game, shooting 6-13 for 17 points (2-6 from three, the chucking returned as the game got out of hand) along with 4 assists and 4 blocks, but he usurpingly struggled some against the much bigger Jonas Valanciunas defensively. There’s going to be some matchups like that for the rookie at center, but that wasn’t the reason the Spurs lost, and before this game, the Spurs defense had actually been playing like a top 10 unit with him at the five. BLOCKED pic.twitter.com/yQEzO7hxn4— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) December 17, 2023 Devin Vassell wasn’t able to duplicate anything close to his career high from the Lakers with an inefficient night, but here’s Jeremy Sochan finding him on a similar cut as the passes to Wemby above. The Spurs are better when they head downhill towards the rim instead of letting defenses get comfortable. More of this and less motionless offense resulting in contested threes, please. Jeremy Dev pic.twitter.com/A0jUnAomMC— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) December 17, 2023 The only person who prevented this game from becoming a complete blowout by halftime was Cedi Osman, who had 12 first-half points and 9 of the Spurs’ final 14 as they cut a 20-point lead to 10 at halftime. I couldn’t find any other highlights other than his one second-half basket, but Cedi continues to be the most pleasant surprise of this season. fighting for every point @spurs | #PorVida | :BSSW pic.twitter.com/THRXqJyN3c— Bally Sports San Antonio (@BallySportsSA) December 17, 2023 It was entirely in garbage time, but Julian Champagnie came in cold late in the third quarter and shot 5-6 from three in the fourth quarter. He is slowly rounding back into form from the end of last season, and I wouldn’t be against him getting some more rotation minutes if it helps the second unit’s defense. .@JulianChampagn2 for THREE pic.twitter.com/sO64hc9IlP— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) December 17, 2023 Finally, the full game highlights. https://www.youtube.com/embed/R7ll2klPJ70?rel=0
Source: https://www.poundingtherock.com/2023/12 ... o-pelicans