Season 51, Game 18
San Antonio 90, New Orleans 107
11-7, 4th in the West

I know the record books will say otherwise, but in my recollections, the Spurs have only one exactly one game in New Orleans: Game 7 of the 2008 Western Conference Semifinals. (And this only after getting crushed in Games 1, 2, and 5.)

The most egregious of these losses was in 2015, when all the Spurs had to do was win one single game in the Big Easy to secure the 2-seed in the West and credibly defend their title. Instead they lost and the rest is history.

For whatever reason, the Spurs’ offense tends to go ice cold in New Orleans. Often, the Pelicans aren’t good enough to put the Spurs away, so the game remains tight as the Spurs find new and inventive ways to not score the ball.

Now that New Orleans have two bona fide star talents, scoring is not an issue. So when the Spurs continue to struggle on offense, the Pelicans won’t do them the courtesy of sticking back.

In quarters 2 and 3 of this contest, the Pelicans outscored the Spurs 68-30. That’s not a typo.

But it gets worse! After the Spurs jumped out to a promising 17-2 lead about 6 minutes into the game, the Pelicans went on a (very) extended 85-42 run. Again, that’s not a typo. Over 30 minutes of professional basketball, the Pelicans more than doubled up the Spurs, racking up a +43 scoring margin.

My advice: don’t worry too much about this game. Enjoy Thanksgiving (the secret best holiday), eat lots of good food, take a long nap, and be happy.

The Spurs travel to Charlotte on Saturday night, another venue where they tend to struggle offensively. Let’s hope they can snap their East Coast Road Game losing streak.

Go Spurs Go.