The New Orleans Pelicans lost a heartbreaking game to the San Antonio Spurs 121-116 Sunday night. New Orleans played on the second night of a back-to-back after losing to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday. The Pelicans trailed for much of the night, but a 13-0 run late in the fourth quarter gave New Orleans a two-point lead with under a minute left.
Former New Orleans guard Chris Paul threw a perfect pass to Spurs star Victor Wembanyama, who swished a three-point shot with under 40 seconds to go, giving San Antonio the lead for good. The loss drops the Pelicans to 5-20 on the season, last in the Western Conference.
New Orleans head coach Willie Green commended his team's effort late in the game, even though the Pelicans fell short at the end.
"I thought it was a huge growth moment," Green said postgame of the late surge. "Maybe five minutes left in the game we're down 11, Yves (Missi) gets a layup and it sparks our run. We take the lead, but a couple of plays didn't go our way down the stretch."
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— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) December 9, 2024
The Pelicans played Sunday without Brandon Ingram, who injured his ankle during the second half of the Thunder game. Ingram's MRI returned as a severe low ankle sprain, and he will be out indefinitely. Zion Williamson is already out indefinitely with a hamstring injury, and the team is also without Jordan Hawkins, Jose Alvarado, and Daniel Theis.
New Orleans will have three days off until they play again Thursday night at home versus the Sacramento Kings. The Pelicans didn't qualify for NBA Cup quarterfinals, going 1-3 in Group Play, so the team has extra time while the NBA Cup Tournament takes place.
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