Scott Wachter-Imagn Images The Spurs didn’t get great contributions from many of their starters, but the bench stepped up and provided the spark San Antonio needed to win the game. It wasn’t the prettiest of games, but the Spurs bounced back from a loss to the Hornets on Friday with a 119-115 win over the Pelicans in the second game of a back-to-back. The second unit led the way, with four bench players scoring in double-digits. After being on the wrong end of a high-scoring first half against the Hornets, the Spurs didn’t have to worry about facing a big deficit against the Pelicans. Their effort was better, but there was no risk mostly because their opponent lacked the firepower to go on a big run. New Orleans was missing several players and had to resort to fastbreak buckets or early offense to try to make up for their lack of shot creation. Some shoddy transition defense by San Antonio gave them opportunities to put easy points on the board but they only mustered 23 for the entire quarter. The issue was that the Silver and Black also looked disjointed on the offensive end and only got 22 in the opening frame. Things started to turn around for the Spurs at the start of the second frame. They had a much easier time scoring some quick buckets thanks to a terrible few defensive possessions from New Orleans. Alas, in what became the theme of the night, neither team could take full control of the game. San Antonio had two stretches in which they strung together a few good trips up and down the court, turned defense into offense, and built a lead. Both times it seemed like the opportunity to break the game wide open was there, but the killer instinct wasn’t, leaving the door open for the Pelicans to close the gap. They did exactly that with a 16-7 C.J. McCollum-led run to close the quarter. Heading into the break, the game was tied at 58. It was the Pelicans’ turn to build a small lead as the third quarter started. The Spurs simply couldn’t stop McCollum and lacked physicality. Against a better, deeper opponent they would have paid for it, but New Orleans had to rest McCollum and Kelly Olynyk and went through a directionless stretch of turning the ball over and playing dismal defense, which allowed San Antonio to stay in it. The second unit, and especially Keldon Johnson, deserve credit for taking advantage of that terrible spell by their opponent to build momentum. After a few big buckets, the defense tightened up and the Silver and Black became the aggressors. A buzzer-beating three from midcourt from Sochan had the Spurs up nine heading into the final frame. As the starters checked in and Sandro Mamukelashvili replaced Sochan at center, the Pelicans found a reliable way to score. They got Mamu switched onto McCollum and when helped came, someone got wide open either from beyond the arc or in the paint. The Spurs were still scoring, but with no stops, they couldn’t put the visitors away for good. Slowly New Orleans chipped away at the lead and were decidedly in it down the stretch. It took a clutch Vassell three to make it a two-possession game heading into the final minute. The Pelicans had their chances to steal it but time wasn’t on their side and the Silver and Black iced it from the free-throw line. Game notes The bench won the game. All five Pelicans starters scored in double-digits and everyone except for Trey Murphy III had a positive plus/minus. Meanwhile, four of the five Spurs’ subs finished in double-digits and the one who didn’t score, Blake Wesley, made his mark on the defensive end. The reserves moved the ball, pushed the pace and played with more energy and physicality. Keldon Johnson was great on offense and Sochan anchored the defense. Granted, New Orleans was severely shorthanded, but depth was a major advantage for San Antonio. Not every starter struggled. Devin Vassell had 22 points in 17 shots and made some plays on defense. Harrison Barnes had 19 on just nine shots. Those two played within themselves and filled their roles expertly. Stephon Castle’s stat line of 17 points and seven assists would indicate he had a good game. That wasn’t the case. Castle stopped the ball and slowed the pace down on offense, and gambled often on defense. There will be growing pains with him being the primary perimeter creator, so there’s nothing to worry about, but hopefully, he’ll go back to picking his spots better and playing with full energy on defense. It’s hard to judge Mitch Johnson at times. For example, the Pelicans hunting Mamu on a switch and getting good shots out of it had an obvious solution: just sit Mamu. But you can’t blame him for trying to buy some rest minutes for Sochan and hoping his team will figure things out. Plus, the small lineup that stopped McCollum suffered against size later on. Johnson seems to always be reactive instead of proactive but the reality is, he doesn’t have the talent available to get fancy with adjustments. The players from both franchises who missed the game with injuries would dominate either of the squads that actually played. A starting five of De’Aaron Fox, Dejounte Murray, Herb Jones, Zion Williamson and Victor Wembanyama would have destroyed the Spurs and Pelicans even if they combined forces. A devastating win for Team Tank. The Spurs now have a better record than the Trail Blazers and Bulls. Play of the game Huge three from Devin Vassell to get the Spurs breathing room late. They might have let the win slip away without this bucket. BIG TIME THREE BALL‼️ pic.twitter.com/9T3XOqJrfR— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) March 16, 2025 Next game: at Los Angeles Lakers on Monday The Spurs will face the Lakers in a game that had to be rescheduled due to the California forest fires. ...read more read less