Spurs rally in OT for 101-98 win over Pelicans
NEW ORLEANS -- Kawhi Leonard scored a team-high 31 points and Patty Mills nailed two critical 3-pointers in overtime to lift the San Antonio Spurs to a 101-98 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night at the Smoothie King Center.
The Pelicans (24-38) scored the first five points of overtime to lead 94-89, but the Spurs responded with eight points in the next 58 seconds to take the lead for good.
Center Pau Gasol hit a 3-pointer from the left corner, LaMarcus Aldridge scored on a dunk after the Spurs kept the possession alive with two offensive rebounds and Mills hit a 3-pointer from the right wing, giving San Antonio a 97-94 lead.
The Spurs led 101-98 and Aldridge had a chance to ice the game with 8.9 seconds left, but he missed two free throws.
The Pelicans had one last chance, but DeMarcus Cousins missed a 3-pointer from the top of the key.
Aldridge had 21 points for the Spurs (47-13), who won their sixth straight.
The Pelicans were paced by Anthony Davis with 29 points and guard Jrue Holiday with 26, but it was the fourth game the Pelicans have lost with both Davis and Cousins in the starting lineup.
The Spurs used a 7-0 run to take a 74-67 lead early in the fourth quarter, but the Pelicans rallied with a 16-8 spurt of their own to retake the lead at 83-82 on Davis' 3-pointer from the left wing with 5:23 left.
The Pelicans led 87-84 when Davis made one of two free throws with 3:30 left and Holiday hit a driving layup past Gasol on a switch, putting New Orleans up 89-85 with 59.8 left.
Leonard hit one foul shot on the Spurs' next possession and then stole the ball from Holiday and raced the length of the court for a dunk that cut the deficit to 89-88 with 37 seconds left.
After Holiday missed a jumper, the Spurs got the ball and Gasol was fouled by Cousins near the basket, but he made only 1 of 2 foul shots to tie the score at 89 with 6.6 seconds left.
Holiday had a chance to win the game in regulation but was short on a 15-foot jumper at the buzzer.
The Spurs led 67-66 entering the fourth quarter, holding the Pelicans to 6-of-22 shooting from the field (27.2 percent) in the quarter.
The Spurs trailed 40-32 before going on a 7-0 run, with Patty Mills hitting a 3-pointer, and they took a 49-48 halftime lead. Leonard was 8 of 12 from the field and scored 20 points in the first half.
On the final play of the first quarter, Davis went to the glass in an attempt to tip in a missed jumper by guard E'Twaun Moore and banged his left index finger against the backboard.
Davis went to the locker room and came back with 5:30 left in the second quarter with his index and middle fingers taped together.
Davis led the Pelicans with 10 first-quarter points, but he was held to two in the second quarter.
After sitting out the last game with a suspension for excessive technical fouls this season, Cousins had a solid first half with eight points and 11 rebounds. He also led the Pelicans with four assists.
NOTES: The Pelicans continued their run of bad injury news. Veteran PG Jarrett Jack, signed to a 10-day contract, played in just two games before tearing meniscus in his right knee. He will miss 4-6 weeks. ... Spurs PG Tony Parker, who missed Wednesday night's victory over the Pacers, returned from a bruised quad. ... Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has fond memories of Pelicans C DeMarcus Cousins from the 2016 All-Star Game. During a timeout, Cousins drew up a play that would free him up for a 3-point shot. "I enjoyed him," Popovich said. "He's a fun-loving guy, he's got a great sense of humor. He can be serious when he needs to be. I just enjoyed his presence and bantering back and forth with him. He's clever and he's got a great sense of humor." ... Pelicans G Jrue Holiday donated $1,000 for every point (26) and assist (5) to victims of the recent New Orleans East tornados, totaling $31,000.