Wembanyama helps Spurs beat Pelicans, 121-116, as Paul moves into second in career assists

By RAUL DOMINGUEZ The Associated Press
San Antonio Spurs' Chris Paul runs upcourt during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the New Orleans Pelicans, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Darren Abate)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Darren Abate]

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Chris Paul moved into second place on the NBA’s career assists list, Victor Wembanyama came back from an injury scare to score 25 points and the San Antonio Spurs held on to beat the New Orleans Pelicans 121-116 on Sunday night.

Paul had 10 assists, giving him 12,099 for his career and moving him past former Phoenix and Dallas star Jason Kidd (12,091).

Stephon Castle added 22 points for San Antonio, which snapped a three-game skid.

Wembanyama left the game with 8:59 remaining in the first quarter when he clutched his lower back. He had missed the previous two games with lower back soreness. But he returned to Sunday’s game with 9:34 remaining in the second quarter.

Trey Murphy III scored 25 points and C.J. McCollum had 19 for the Pelicans. Dejounte Murray added 18 points and 11 assists and Yves Missi had 18 points and 14 rebounds.

Takeaways

Pelicans: New Orleans’ starting five scored 92 points.

Spurs: San Antonio lost Zach Collins and Keldon Johnson to injuries in the first half. Collins exited midway through the first quarter with a lower back injury when he landed on his right hip after fouling and tumbling over Murray on an attempted rebound. Johnson suffered a left calf injury with 7:11 remaining in the half.

Key moment

Paul assisted on Wembanyama’s 3-pointer with 37 seconds remaining to snap a five-minute scoring drought and put the Spurs up 117-116. Prior to Wembanyama’s 3, the Pelicans had a 13-0 run to take a 116-114 lead with a minute remaining in the game.

Key stat

The 39-year-old Paul moved into second place when the 20-year-old Wembanyama made a 25-foot 3-pointer with 7:06 remaining in the first half against New Orleans, the franchise where his 20-year career began.

Up next

Pelicans: Host Sacramento on Thursday night.

Spurs: At Portland on Friday night.

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