There’s nothing like a good old fashioned blowout to ease any concerns about a team’s recent uneven play. The Spurs were expected to beat the extremely shorthanded Pelicans on Saturday, but the fact that they did so while always looking in control despite having absences of their own is enough to turn a seemingly easy win into a reason for optimism.
The final score of 126-114 doesn’t really do justice to how comfortable the Spurs looked for most of the game. Even in the first half, when they were playing with low energy and letting a New Orleans squad missing Anthony Davis, Julius Randle and Nikola Mirotic hang around, it seemed like it was only a matter of time before the game would break open for San Antonio.