NBA Notes: Spurs, Victor Wembanyama, Pacers, Pascal Siakam, Pelicans

Spurs

Star center Victor Wembanyama and 2025 Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle were full participants in Sunday’s practice, a welcome sign for a Spurs team that has been navigating injuries for most of the month.

Backup guard Jordan McLaughlin also practiced, per Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News.

“It’s definitely amazing to see everyone back working,” guard Dylan Harper said. “We did well without those guys. Now when they come back, you’ll see a whole other team.”

Wembanyama has missed 10 straight games with a left calf strain suffered on November 15. He isn’t expected to play Monday against New Orleans and is considered “iffy” for Wednesday’s NBA Cup quarterfinal at the Lakers, McDonald reports.

Castle, who has been sidelined for nine games with a left hip flexor strain, is likely to return Monday, according to ESPN’s Michael C. Wright. McLaughlin will remain out as he continues to deal with a right hamstring strain.

San Antonio sits at 15-7, fifth in the Western Conference, and is preparing to get two of its top talents back as the schedule tightens.

Pacers

The Pacers picked up a much-needed road win Friday in Chicago, a reminder of how narrow their margin for error remains, per Dustin Dopirak of the Indy Star. Head coach Rick Carlisle acknowledged the challenge.

“A lot of elements right now have to be in place for us to be an effective road team against a team like Chicago,” Carlisle said.

Pascal Siakam delivered the performance Indiana needed, finishing with 36 points, 10 rebounds, and five made threes. After a 2-16 start, the Pacers have now won three of their last five.

Pelicans

Despite growing speculation about the future of Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy III, and Herbert Jones, the Pelicans have not engaged teams in trade discussions for any of the three, according to Rod Walker at NOLA.com.

New Orleans is a league-worst 3-21, prompting outside questions about whether a reset is coming. Internally, though, the stance remains unchanged: no talks, at least for now.