Game Preview: San Antonio Spurs vs. New Orleans Pelicans

San Antonio Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson told reporters his team is dealing with some mental fatigue after a 130-117 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night. After two days of rest and the return of some key players, the Spurs will have the opportunity to turn things around against the league’s worst Pelicans as they continue their four-game road trip.

Stephon Castle and Luke Kornet are both questionable for Monday’s contest, but are expected to play. Notably, Castle, Kornet, Jordan McLaughlin and Victor Wembanyama were full participants in practice this weekend. San Antonio could be at full health very soon. Monday’s game could be a good tune-up game for some of the beaten Spurs, as the Pelicans could be without three of their top five scorers.

San Antonio has already beaten New Orleans twice this year, but in those games, the Silver and Black got to see just how physical this young, motivated team can be. Trey Murphy III is a budding star, and rookies Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen are fearless. Kornet and Castle will be extremely valuable as they can bolster a Spurs defense that gave up 44 points in the third quarter Friday night. San Antonio could use this game to gain some momentum as they head into their NBA Cup game against the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night.

December 8, 2025 | 7:00 p.m. CT

Watch: Peacock / FanDuel SW | Listen: WOAI (12:00 p.m.)

Spurs injuries: Stephon Castle – Questionable (hip), Harrison Ingram – Out (G League), Jordan McLaughlin – Out (hamstring), Luke Kornet – Questionable (ankle), Victor Wembanyama – Out (calf), Riley Minix – Questionable (G League)

Pelicans injuries: Hunter Dickinson – Out (G League), Herbert Jones – Questionable (calf), Dejounte Murray – Out (Achilles), Jordan Poole – Out (quad), Zion Williamson – Out (adductor)

The ball will be in the hands of the Pelicans star on Monday. Murphy III is capable of huge explosions. He had 41 points in the Spurs’ last game against New Orleans. He’s averaging 20.5 points and about three triples per contest. San Antonio may need to throw an extra defender at him, or be physical and aggressive by not letting him openly stare at three people. The Pelicans aren’t a particularly formidable offensive team (26th in offensive rating), but they have enough talent to get hot. Murphy III could be a galvanizing force. Spurs will have the task of ensuring he does not take over the game.

The third quarter of the game against Cleveland came down to a lack of attention to detail. San Antonio lost their man, failed to communicate with screens and wasn’t physical at the point of attack, among other issues. It was a total failure on Spurs’ part. New Orleans doesn’t have the same level of offensive talent as Cleveland, but they have young players who have proven they can score. The return of Kornet and Castle should be a big help. San Antonio will need to lock down on that side to get a road win.

After missing the last 9 games, Castle is scheduled to play on Monday. It would be safe to assume he will return to the starting lineup, with Julian Champagnie heading to the bench. It will be interesting to see if the Spurs put him on a minutes restriction or play an extended bench like they did to reduce his minutes in the first game. Regardless of his playing time, the Spurs could use another downhill forward, playmaker and perimeter defender. Castle can help you in all of these departments. He was playing well before he got injured too. Castle is averaging 17.3 points, 7.5 assists and 5.8 rebounds while shooting 49.7 percent from the field this season.