For the second straight game, the team that so often struggled closing out games all of sudden figured out how to.
The New Orleans Pelicans scored 13 unanswered points late in the fourth quarter to pull away from the San Antonio Spurs for a 104-95 victory at Frost Bank Center.
Pelicans Spurs Basketball
New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) drives to the basket over San Antonio Spurs forward Keldon Johnson (3) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in San Antonio, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay) Eric Gay
The Pelicans trailed 92-87 with 5:09 left, then outscored the Spurs 15-3 the rest of the way.
“To hold them to three points during that stretch, this was a defensive win tonight,” said Pelicans’ interim head coach James Borrego.
The Pelicans (12-36) won their second consecutive game with the starting lineup of Trey Murphy, Herb Jones, Zion Williamson, Saddiq Bey and Derik Queen. Borrego used that lineup for the first time in Friday’s road win over the Memphis Grizzlies. With Sunday’s win, the Pels avoided getting swept by the Spurs (31-15), the second-place team in the Western Conference standings. The Spurs beat the Pels the first three meetings this season. The Pelicans made sure not to let it happen again. It wasn’t easy, despite the Pels leading by as many as 20 points in the third quarter. Thanks to the Pelicans going on a six-minute scoring drought late in the third and early in the fourth, San Antonio climbed back into it and tied it 88-88 at midway through the fourth.
How did the Pels manage to contain their composure?
“By understanding that this is a game of runs,” Williamson said. “We had a lot of runs earlier in the game. They are one of the best teams in the West for a reason. They made a run. We responded well.”
Williamson recorded his second straight double double, finishing with 24 points, 10 rebounds and four assists.
He spent most of the night going right at Spurs star center Victor Wembanyama, who finished with 16 points and 16 rebounds.
“He’s an elite defender,” Williamson said of Wembanyama. “When you attack the rim, you’ve got to make a good rim decision.”
Pelicans’ center Yves Missi came off the bench and also had a double double (10 points, 14 rebounds). Missi grabbed 10 of his boards in the first half to help the Pels build a 56-47 lead at the break.
Pelicans Spurs Basketball
New Orleans Pelicans center Yves Missi (21) drives to the basket against San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in San Antonio, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay) Eric Gay
Saddiq Bey, who scored a season-high 36 points Friday against Memphis, picked up where he left off and scored 24 points. Bey had 15 at halftime. Trey Murphy finished with 17 points, nine assists and six rebounds.
Herb Jones finished with nine points, three rebounds and two blocks. Since Borrego took over as interim coach 12 games into the season, the Pelicans are 7-6 when Jones plays and 3-20 when he doesn’t. The Pels committed just 10 turnovers and outscored the Spurs 56-32 in the paint. The Pels won the rebounding battle 58-46.
“We talked about winning the possession game and we thought that’s where it would be won for us,” Borrego said. “If we could turn them over and keep our turnovers down and obviously win the board. We were crashing the boards tonight. Second chance opportunities. Just great effort tonight on both ends.”
Particularly on the defensive end.
The Pelicans conclude their 3-game road trip Tuesday against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Pels have lost 12 straight games to the Thunder including the first round sweep in the 2023-’24 playoffs. They’ll need more solid defensive play to end that drought.
“What I’m most proud of is the defense down the stretch,” Borrego said. “Down the stretch we’ve been able to find some rhythm here defensively. Same as Memphis in the last game. It was our defense that brought us home.”