The New Orleans Pelicans aren’t going to the postseason.
The San Antonio Spurs face an uphill battle to reach the play-in tournament without star big man Victor Wembanyama.
The two Southwest Division rivals will meet twice in three nights in New Orleans beginning Sunday.
The Spurs are 12th in the Western Conference and are 1-1 since announcing that Wembanyama will miss the rest of the season because of a blood clot in his right shoulder.
The loss of Wembanyama comes on the heels of a trade this month for guard De’Aaron Fox.
“We’re trying to learn some continuity,” interim head coach Mitch Johnson said. “We just acquired De’Aaron Fox. Sometimes you can chase your tail if you’re over-reacting to whatever happened in (one) game. I do think in however many games we have left there will be some opportunities to see some different combinations, different lineups.”
Wembanyama’s absence is felt in many ways, but especially on the boards as he was averaging a team-best 11.0 rebounds per game. San Antonio was outrebounded 53-32, giving up 20 offensive rebounds and 21 second-chance points in a 125-110 loss to Detroit on Friday in Austin, Texas.
“That’s something we’re going to have to be overly committed to the rest of the season,” Johnson said of rebounding. “There will be times even when we’re putting forth the effort and it’s still going to be difficult. Some of that is just how we’re built right now. That’s not a bad thing or a negative thing. That’s just a fact. It’s an aspect of our team that we have to be very committed to.”
Rebounding has been a problem all season for the Pelicans, who rank 24th in the NBA in rebounds per game (42.9) through Friday.
Center Kelly Olynyk, acquired shortly before the trade deadline in a deal that sent Brandon Ingram to Toronto, made his Pelicans debut by starting in a 111-103 loss at Dallas on Friday. It was his first appearance in a game since Feb. 5.
“He’s been out for a while so he’s knocking some rust off,” Pelicans coach Willie Green said. “We’re getting used to the personnel. I thought there were some positives we can take from this game and, hopefully, carry it over into practice and the rest of the season.”
Olynyk had four points, three rebounds and three assists in 24 minutes as he started alongside rookie center Yves Missi, who had six points, 10 rebounds and four blocks in 24 minutes.
“I like (the lineup). It makes us bigger,” Green said. “We can rebound the ball.”
New Orleans outrebounded the Mavericks 53-47, but Green lamented the fact that New Orleans “slowed down a bit” in the fourth quarter, scoring just 21 points after scoring 82 through three quarters.
“We’ve got to continue to play with pace for 48 minutes,” Green said.
Zion Williamson led the Pelicans with 29 points on 11-of-15 shooting from the floor in 27 minutes. He is shooting 71 percent from the floor (46 of 65) in his last four games.
“He’s been awesome,” Green said.
–Field Level Media
