Grades: Spurs Out-Execute New Orleans Pelicans

Final. 110. 29. 97. 69

I’m not sure how much of Cole’s stat-lines are based on his skills, as opposed to the system he’s in. Cole is basically just asked to drive recklessly into the paint and pass to whoever is there, which luckily enough is Anthony Davis most of the time. He didn’t shoot well tonight, making just 7-17 field goals, though he had 9 assists so I guess his impact was positive. Still, watching the games it seems like Jrue is helping the ball moment much more than Cole, despite raking in about half the dimes.. PG. . NORRIS COLE. B-

B. Bryce Dejean-Jones was really the only Pelican capable of hitting a three tonight. The Pelicans shot 3/19 from deep tonight (15%), with two of those makes coming from BDJ. Outside of that, he had 8 total points on 3/7 shooting. His defense is literally atrocious, and the Spurs targeted him on that end mercilessly. Regardless, he provided what little spacing the Pelicans managed to manufacture tonight while everyone else was just laying bricks.. SG, SF,. . BRYCE DEJEAN-JONES

SF, SG. . ALONZO GEE. F. Gee could probably be a fantastic criminal. He has a fantastic knack for leaving literally no impact on the places he goes, and forcing people to forget he was ever there. In 17 minutes tonight, he scored 0 points on 0/2 shooting, had 0 offensive rebounds, 0 defensive rebounds, 0 assists, one turnover and 3 fouls. It’s like he robbed the AT&T center, and needed to cover his tracks to make it seem like he wasn’t really there tonight.

. ANTHONY DAVIS. B+. Davis’ stats are incredible. He ended tonight’s game with 28 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals, 4 blocks, 4 turnovers and a foul on 11/22 shooting from the floor. He also has looked remarkably comfortable in the post these past few games, which is generally one of the areas his offensive game struggles. The issue is that he played defense like the CPU in NBA 2k. He jumped on almost all LaMarcus Aldridge’s pump fakes, allowing him to score 36 points on 12/20 shooting. The stats look good, but he was -11 tonight and his defense was the reason why.  . PF, C

A. . Asik has been awesome. He started the season so badly, and has completely turned things around. His stats mean nothing to me, even though 3/4 shooting and 11 rebounds are nothing to laugh at. What I love is the effort. He is really applying himself on the defensive end and he has learned to collect himself before trying to put the ball in the basket. Only two players in tonight’s game had a positive +/- stat, and Asik’s was the highest at +10. It’s a shame Gentry feels the need to force small-ball on this roster, because everyone seems to benefit when Asik is on the floor. . B. . OMER ASIK

JRUE HOLIDAY. B.  Coming off a 1-14 game against the Grizzlies, I expected to Jrue to bounce back quickly. He had 20 points on 8-18 shooting and shot 0-4 from deep. He also chipped in 5 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, 3 turnovers and 3 fouls. His stats are good, not great, but good. He also had to deal with the fact that the Spurs put Kawhi Leonard on him in the fourth, who is probably the best perimeter defender since Scottie Pippen. Slightly above-average effort from Jrue tonight, but nothing special or worth noting.. PG.

C.  If Anderson is going to be on the floor, I need him scoring. He is a terrible defender and when he isn’t putting the ball in the basket, he isn’t as valuable as Asik. Tonight he seemed hesitant and unfocused, taking just 9 shots in the entire game and making just 4 while missing both of his threes. He had 10 rebound to bump his grade up slightly, but he still didn’t do much and Asik deserved his minutes more than he did.. PF. . RYAN ANDERSON

. DANTE CUNNINGHAM. D. Much like Gee, Dante chose not to exist tonight. He hit two shots, and did literally nothing else in his 19 minutes off the bench. His defense was passable, and at least he managed to make a field goal, but the fact that he is the Pelicans greatest alternative to Gee is an increasingly depressing fact to acknowledge.. SF,PF

TONEY DOUGLAS. D-. Did not look like an NBA player tonight at all. Douglas had 3 points tonight in 21 minutes on 1/6 shooting from the floor. He did grab 3 steals and stayed in front of his man fairly consistently, but much like Dante and Gee, he didn’t exist enough to warrant any real analysis. The Pelicans have about 3 and a half players who actually matter right now, and Douglas is no where near being one of them.. PG.