Inside The Spurs

San Antonio Spurs Got an 'A**-Whooping' vs. New Orleans Pelicans, Says Gregg Popovich

"Well, let's see," San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "That's what you call an a**-whooping. Pure and simple. Drop the mic. Period. Full stop, all that kind of stuff. They had a great night shooting. We couldn't throw it in the ocean."

Jeremy Brener

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The San Antonio Spurs may no longer be on an 18-game losing streak, but they returned to the loss column in a 146-110 defeat at the hands of the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday afternoon at the Frost Bank Center.

The Spurs were simply unable to withstand the Pelicans' offense and unable to match a very high output. From start to finish, the game felt out of reach.

Dec 17, 2023; San Antonio, Texas, USA; New Orleans Pelicans CJ McCollum (3) dribbles while defended by San Antonio Spurs guard Tre Jones (33) during the first half at Frost Bank Center / Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports

"Well, let's see," coach Gregg Popovich said. "That's what you call an a**-whooping. Pure and simple. Drop the mic. Period. Full stop, all that kind of stuff. They had a great night shooting. We couldn't throw it in the ocean."

The Pelicans were led by C.J. McCollum, who scored a game-high 29 points. Brandon Ingram also impressed, adding 25 points of his own. As a team, the Pelicans shot 55.6 percent from the field and 52.4 percent from beyond the 3-point line.

In 17 games, the Spurs have allowed 120 points or more, which has led them towards being ranked 24th in defensive rating.

Spurs Torched From 3 By Pelicans, Drop Tony Parker's Hall-of-Fame Game

As important as scoring points is, defense is the key to winning games in the NBA. For teams like the Spurs, who may not have as much offensive firepower compared to others, they need to be able to defend at a high level if they want to compete more often.

The Spurs will have a chance to showcase a better defensive effort on Tuesday night when the team visits Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks, who hold the third-highest offensive rating in the NBA.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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