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San Antonio (15-7) at New Orleans (3-20)
- When: Dec 8 2025, 8:00 PM
- Where: Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, LA, USA
- TV: Gulf Coast Sports
San Antonio vs New Orleans Preview & Prediction
Spread: San Antonio -9.0
Moneyline: San Antonio (-430)
Total: 237.0
San Antonio Spurs Breakdown
San Antonio enters this matchup with a very mixed bag of emotions. On one hand, they have already beaten the Pelicans twice this season, once in an overtime thriller and once in a comfortable win at home. On the other hand, they are currently running a skeleton crew without Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle, and their latest outing was a defensive disaster.
The Spurs were leading Cleveland by eight at halftime before the entire operation collapsed in the third quarter, where they surrendered a jaw dropping forty four points. Mitch Johnson called out the team for lacking physicality, losing composure and allowing the game to snowball into a mess. Devin Vassell did his best, scoring twenty eight points and tying a franchise record with seven first half threes, but the offense became stagnant while the defense offered roughly the resistance of a wet napkin.
San Antonio finds itself needing more discipline, more ball movement and way more defensive effort. They have the talent to score, but their inability to contain penetration has turned games into track meets for the wrong reasons. With Wembanyama still sidelined and Castle questionable again, the Spurs must rely heavily on their perimeter scoring and hope their transitions are cleaner than they were in Cleveland.
Spurs Player Prop Pick: Devin Vassell over 16.5 points – He is the one consistent scorer available and carries a huge share of the offensive workload, especially with major injuries.
New Orleans Pelicans Breakdown
The Pelicans are in a brutal downward spiral. They have dropped six in a row and fifteen of sixteen, sinking to three wins on the season which ties them with Washington for the fewest in the league. Their most recent showing was a one hundred nineteen to one hundred one loss at Brooklyn where turnovers and poor rebounding sealed their fate.
Trey Murphy III was the bright spot with twenty three points, while Saddiq Bey and Bryce McGowans provided some scoring support. But the real hurdle for New Orleans is simple. They cannot defend consistently, they cannot rebound consistently and they cannot run their offense without long stretches where everything looks stuck in mud.
Interim coach James Borrego has pointed to the defensive end repeatedly, insisting that slow starts and soft possessions continue to sink the team. Losing Zion Williamson for what will be at least three more weeks only intensifies the challenge. Without their franchise cornerstone, the Pelicans lack a go to scorer and a physical presence who could stabilize their tempo.
New Orleans needs to keep turnovers down and match San Antonio’s energy early, or else the game could unravel quickly.
Pelicans Player Prop Pick: Trey Murphy over 21.5 points – With Zion out and the offense starved for shot creators, Murphy’s volume and confidence give him a strong scoring floor.
Prediction and Betting Outlook
San Antonio has controlled this matchup all season, but their defensive inconsistency makes them tough to trust as a large favorite. The Pelicans are in a free fall, yet they still play hard enough to hang around in the right matchup. With both teams struggling defensively, the total of 236.5 leans toward a high scoring game.
Still the Spurs have the better structure and healthier rotation. New Orleans’ lack of depth and constant turnover issues give San Antonio a clear edge.
Final Score: Spurs 125 Pelicans 114
Lean: San Antonio -9.0
Total: Over 237.0
- NBA Basketball Odds source: Bovada Sportsbook
- Get real-time live scores & latest betting odds here!
