On April 6, Beijing time, the NBA regular season continued, the New Orleans Pelicans hosted the San Antonio Spurs, and the two sides fought until the last minute, Jones' key layup was blocked by Wembanyama, and the team finally lost 109-111, suffering the fifth loss in the last six games.
At the start of the game, the Pelicans quickly got into the groove and built a lead through efficient coordination of interior and perimeter. Valanciunas and McCollum put together a nine-point lead in the first quarter. In the second quarter, Wembanyama's assist ability helped keep the team on the offensive despite his poor hand, and the Pelicans led by 10 points at halftime.
In the second half, the situation of the game changed. The Pelicans stalled on the offensive end, while the Spurs began to chase down points through teamwork and all-hands tactics. Wembanyama warmed up, hitting consecutive outside shots, and Graham also hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer to help the Spurs tie the score directly.
Heading into the final quarter, both sides were shooting their percentages down, but the Spurs took a five-point lead thanks to Branham's three-pointers and a 7-0 run. Although Wembanyama hit a three-pointer at a critical moment, McCollum responded quickly, but then Wemban's key hat and Jones' mistake deprived the Pelicans of a chance to turn around.
In the end, the Spurs won 111-106 over the Pelicans.
For the Spurs, who are aiming for the top picking, the outcome of this game is not very important, but the growth of young people is the team's most concern, and judging from the results, it is undoubtedly ideal.
In the whole game, the Spurs scored 7 double-doubles, the overall shooting rate exceeded 5 percent, the three-point shooting rate was as high as 37.3%, and the team made 17 three-pointers. In particular, this year's champion Xiu Wembanyama once again played an all-round performance, scoring 17 points on 5-of-12 shooting, 12 rebounds and 9 assists in 34 minutes on the court, in addition to sending 3 blocks, it can be said that the performance on both offensive and defensive ends is phenomenal.
The Pelicans, on the other hand, have not been in a good position lately, as the Pelicans' overall record has taken a turn for the worse since Ingram's injury, especially in the last six games, where they have lost five of their games. As of now, the Pelicans' 45-32 record is still in seventh place in the West, but it is only one win ahead of the ninth-place Lakers. If they are not careful, they could fall into the bottom half of the play-offs.