By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The New Orleans Pelicans continued its waxing-hot NBA winning streak to four straight games after cruising past the San Antonio Spurs in dominant fashion, 146-110, last December 18, 2023.
After a close win against the Charlotte Hornets four days ago, the Pelicans sustained its fine play against the Spurs behind the huge scoring outings from the duo of CJ McCollum and Brandon Ingram.
The 1-2 punch scored 29 and 26 points, respectively, and combined for an efficient 20/27 shooting from the field.
McCollum set the tone for the Pelicans after blitzing his way in the opening quarter with a couple of three-point bombs while Ingram got hot midway through the second frame.
Aside from their extended winning streak, New Orleans also set a franchise record in three-pointers made as the squad drained 22 total triples against the Spurs.
McCollum led New Orleans’ insane shooting spree with six treys, Ingram had five, and the duo of Jose Alvarado and Naji Marshall had three each.
San Antonio showed some fight in the second quarter when they made a mini offensive run but the Pelicans responded with a 44-point third quarter that again ballooned their lead to as much as 25 points.
The Pelicans repeated its high-scoring performance in the fourth and final frame after unleashing 41 markers and were already in the driver’s seat in the last remaining minutes.
Jonas Valanciunas also wrapped up the win with a big performance of 15 points and 15 rebounds and extended his double-double streak to four games.
On the other hand, the Spurs got a 17-point outing from prized rookie Victor Wembanyama alongside 13 rebounds and four assists but his all-around efficiency wasn’t enough to help San Antonio build some momentum before the year ends.
