Our ratings lean toward the Spurs on the road against the Pelicans on Sunday, December 20, at about 73%. That is a real edge, but the Pelicans are far from out of it.
How the Win Meter reads
The Win Meter reads the Spurs 73%, with a projected score of San Antonio Spurs 117, New Orleans Pelicans 111. The rating gap is 272 points in favor of the Spurs, and home court and rest add about 100 rating points for the Pelicans on top of that.
A reading this high has real meaning, but upsets of this size happen. Nearly one game in 4 like it goes the other way.
Recent form
The Spurs are 0-1 this season and 1-4 in their last 5 games, with an average margin of -2.8. The Pelicans are 0-1 this season and 1-4 in their last 5 games, with an average margin of -4.
The Pelicans' best recent win was 156-137 at home against UTA.
The Pelicans were beaten 144-118 on the road by BOS not long ago.
Injuries to watch
Out: Jayden Quaintance (SAS), expected back Dec 3, 2026, Tobias Harris (SAS), expected back Oct 24, 2026, Malik Dia (NOP), Jaron Pierre Jr. (NOP), and Julian Reese (NOP).
Day to day or questionable: De'Aaron Fox (SAS) and Keldon Johnson (SAS). Their status can change before tip-off.
The season series
In our records of recent meetings, the Spurs lead 5-3, with the Pelicans outscoring the Spurs by an average of 1.3 points per game. The last meeting was NOP 104, SAS 95.