With the Spurs clinging to a 113-111 lead with 1:30 remaining, Johnson won a battle for the rebound of Castle’s missed 3-pointer. Johnson passed it to Vassell, who drained a 3 from 26 feet to extend San Antonio’s lead to 116-111 with 1:03 remaining.

One bright spot for New Orleans has been Zion Williamson's return from injury in January. The two-time all-star is averaging career-highs in rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks

Williamson has appeared in 22 of 32 games for the Pelicans since returning from a hamstring injury on Jan. 7. He's led the team with 24.6 points, 7.1 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.4 steals per game on 59.5 percent shooting during that span.