Spurs Edge Pelicans in a Wild, High-Scoring Thriller
It was one of those nights where the energy in the Smoothie King Center felt electric from start to finish, and yet the home crowd still walked out shaking their heads. The Spurs–Pelicans matchup turned into a dramatic, back-and-forth battle that delivered milestones, momentum swings, and a finish that had everyone holding their breath. In the end, San Antonio escaped with a 135-132 win, but the story of the night was a lot more layered than just the final score.
What stood out immediately was the performance of Pelicans rookie Derik Queen. His night was nothing short of historic. A 33-point, 10-rebound, 10-assist triple-double, plus four blocks, was posted—making him the first rookie ever to hit those benchmarks in a single game since blocks became an official stat. It was the kind of performance that future highlight reels are built around. Yet after all of that, Queen’s reaction said everything: “The stats are cool, but I just want to win.” That summed up the Pelicans’ season so far—flashes of brilliance overshadowed by mounting losses.
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New Orleans also got a huge spark from Trey Murphy III, who poured in 32 points, and from Herb Jones, who returned after missing eight games. Jones didn’t ease himself in; he jumped straight into the action with 17 points, six rebounds, four assists, and four steals. His presence gave the Pelicans a jolt, especially on the defensive end, even if it couldn’t completely plug the leaks that have plagued the team.
But despite all of that individual excellence, the Pelicans dug themselves into a 25-point first-half hole. They rallied back with their highest-scoring quarter of the season—45 points in the third—to not only erase the deficit but briefly take the lead. Queen dominated that stretch, dropping 21 points in the quarter alone and helping push New Orleans ahead heading into the fourth.
From there, it turned into a seesaw finish. Leads flipped three different times in the final minute. Murphy gave the Pelicans a late edge with a dunk and a three, but San Antonio responded each time. Stephon Castle’s driving layup with 9.1 seconds left put the Spurs up for good. New Orleans drew up one last chance, sending the ball to Jose Alvarado, who kicked it back to Queen for a potential game-winner from deep. It was his first and only 3-point attempt of the night—and it rimmed out. Saddiq Bey had a final shot at forcing overtime, but his buzzer-beating three missed as well.
San Antonio got the win through depth and shooting. With Victor Wembanyama still sidelined, seven Spurs put up double figures. Harrison Barnes led them with 24, Dylan Harper added 22—including the clutch bucket—and the team knocked down 17 threes compared to just seven for New Orleans.
It was a game filled with highlights, heartbreaks, and history. And for the Pelicans, it was another reminder of how close they are—yet how far the results continue to fall.
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