Spurs vs Pelicans tonight: Victor Wembanyama meets Zion Williamson as New Orleans opens at home

The spurs vs pelicans matchup headlines the NBA slate tonight as the San Antonio Spurs visit the Smoothie King Center for New Orleans’ home opener. With Victor Wembanyama healthy and unleashed to start the new campaign and Zion Williamson anchoring an aggressive Pelicans attack, this early-season tilt offers size, star power, and a tactical contrast that has quickly become must-watch basketball.

Spurs vs Pelicans: tip-off time and basics

• Date: Friday, Oct. 24, 2025

• Venue: Smoothie King Center (New Orleans)

• Tip-off: 8:00 p.m. ET / 7:00 p.m. CT / 1:00 a.m. BST

• Format: Regular season, Game 1 of the four-game series

New Orleans seeks a statement start in front of a loud home crowd, while San Antonio aims to keep early momentum rolling after a confident opening week.

San Antonio Spurs: Wembanyama without limits, spacing around him

The San Antonio Spurs enter with a clear mandate: lean into Wembanyama’s two-way gravity and surround him with pace, cutting, and reliable catch-and-shoot threats. The staff has removed hard minute caps, opting to manage loads by game context rather than strict restrictions. That flexibility lets San Antonio toggle between jumbo rim protection and five-out looks that drag opposing bigs into space.

Key San Antonio angles:

• Paint touch to kickout: Early post touches for Wembanyama draw quick help; the first read is the corner three, the second is the 45-cut behind ball-watching defenders.

• High pick-and-roll variety: Empty-corner actions with Wembanyama as the screener force single coverage at the level; Spain pick-and-roll wrinkles can free shooters if New Orleans tags late.

• Defensive back line: With Wembanyama patrolling, Spurs guards can press up on the ball, trusting length behind them to erase drives and floaters.

Watch Devin Vassell’s usage as a barometer: if he’s getting downhill off second-side actions, the Pelicans are overloading on Wembanyama; if he’s stuck as a spacer, New Orleans is staying home and living with tough twos.

New Orleans Pelicans: Zion’s pressure, shooters’ timing, and the glass

For the Pelicans, everything starts with paint pressure. When Zion gets two feet in the lane early in the clock, rotations cascade and New Orleans’ spacing pieces—Trey Murphy III, CJ McCollum, and slashing wings—find rhythm threes or slot cuts. The counter is a steady diet of inverted pick-and-rolls, using guards as screeners to force switches that Zion can punish on the block.

Key New Orleans angles:

• Win transition phases: Defensive rebounds must turn into quick outlets; the first five seconds are prime time to attack before San Antonio’s length sets up.

• Second-chance scoring: New Orleans needs a real edge on the offensive glass to offset the Spurs’ half-court rim protection.

• Selective pressure on the point of attack: Timed traps can disrupt San Antonio’s ball-handlers and steal extra possessions without exposing the rim.

Frontcourt depth has been a storyline this week, and New Orleans may lean on additional size to absorb Wembanyama’s minutes, toggling lineups that prioritize bulk over switchability depending on game flow.

Probable lineups (subject to change)

Spurs
G: Tre Jones — G: Devin Vassell — F: Julian Champagnie — F: Harrison Barnes — C: Victor Wembanyama

Pelicans
G: CJ McCollum — G: Herb Jones — F: Trey Murphy III — F: Zion Williamson — C: Jonas Valančiūnas

Bench impact to watch: San Antonio’s energy wings and movement shooters; New Orleans’ slashing reserves and backup bigs tasked with occupying Wembanyama on the glass.

Three swing factors that will decide Spurs vs Pelicans

1. Paint math vs. perimeter math
   If New Orleans lives in the lane and piles up free throws/put-backs, the hosts can tilt the shot distribution even if San Antonio hits a normal clip from three. If the Spurs win the restricted-area battle while also cashing catch-and-shoot looks, the math flips fast.

2. Turnover margin under pressure
   San Antonio’s length fuels runouts, but live-ball giveaways will gift New Orleans momentum and crowd surges. The team that keeps live turnovers under 12 likely controls pace.

3. Foul discipline on stars
   Two early fouls on Wembanyama or Zion change the geometry of the court. Early, vertical contests and wall-ups at the rim—no cheap reaches—are non-negotiable.

Tactical notes for fans

• Early switches: Expect New Orleans to test switches on Wembanyama to see if guards can front and get weak-side help set before the entry.

• Spain PnR counters: If the Spurs’ back-screen action frees rollers too easily, the Pelicans will pre-switch the back screen or top-lock the shooter.

• ATO chess: After timeouts, look for San Antonio’s stack inbounds into an immediate dribble handoff for a quick three, and New Orleans’ zipper cuts to get Zion downhill from the elbow.

Prediction and outlook

The first quarter should be a feel-out period: New Orleans probing for early paint touches, San Antonio hunting corner threes off Wembanyama gravity. Depth and whistle will matter late. If the Pelicans dominate the offensive glass and keep Wembanyama off the free-throw line, the home opener leans their way. If the Spurs navigate those stretches and win the turnover battle, their half-court execution can steal it on the road.

Either way, spurs vs pelicans delivers an early litmus test for two teams with postseason ambitions—one powered by a generational rim protector, the other by relentless rim pressure. Tonight, those forces collide.