San Antonio Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson addressed the team’s performance following a 135-132 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday, emphasizing concerns despite a 20-point halftime lead.
“We probably weren’t playing as good as the scoreboard said when we were up 25… a lot of smoke signals that were warning us that the scoreboard wasn’t as real as it said it was,” Johnson said.
The Pelicans staged a furious third-quarter rally, led by Derik Queen’s 33-point triple-double, erasing San Antonio’s early cushion. Johnson highlighted the Spurs’ recurring issue with third-quarter lapses. “They’ve just been consistently not up to our standard… lack of focus, lack of concentration when things are starting to slide away from us,” he explained.
Johnson praised the depth of his roster and the challenge of maintaining consistency. “Our staff’s job and primarily my job is to fight all the human elements that come into us not being able to play to our standard… that will be the standard that we play to and strive to play to,” he said.
Harrison Barnes scored 24 points, while rookie Dylan Harper added 22, including the go-ahead floater with nine seconds left. De’Aaron Fox sealed the game with two late free throws, helping the Spurs withstand New Orleans’ comeback.
Bench contributions played a critical role, with Julian Champagnie hitting five three-pointers for 17 points and Stephon Castle adding 18 points with steady perimeter defense. San Antonio shot 49 percent from the field and 47 percent from three, countering the Pelicans’ 58 percent shooting and 42 points in the paint.
New Orleans relied on Queen and Trey Murphy, who added 32 points, while Herb Jones returned from an eight-game absence to contribute 17 points. Despite their efforts, the Pelicans fell to 3-22, continuing their struggles to close games.
Johnson reflected on the challenge of coaching through inconsistencies. “Every good team… if you’re good every quarter, you’re probably going to compete… it’s the never-ending fight when you play a team sport,” he said.
The Spurs improved to 16-7 and will travel to face the Los Angeles Lakers in an NBA Cup quarterfinal on Wednesday. The Pelicans return home to face Portland on Thursday, aiming to end a seven-game losing streak.
