Zion Williamson powered his way to 33 points, including two key baskets in the final minute, as the visiting New Orleans Pelicans outlasted the San Antonio Spurs 114-113 on Friday.
The game was tied at 88 heading into the fourth quarter, and after the lead swung back and forth.
The contest was knotted at 110 when New Orleans’ CJ McCollum hit a driving layup with 1:33 remaining. San Antonio’s Jeremy Sochan went 1 of 2 from the free-throw line with 1:16 left, and Tre Jones added a pair from the foul line to give the Spurs a 113-110 lead with 43 seconds to play.
That’s when Williamson took over, first hammering home a dunk with 28 seconds left and then roaring in for the game-winning layup with 3.8 seconds to play. San Antonio had a final shot, but Devin Vassell missed a 3-point attempt.
McCollum finished with 21 points for New Orleans, while Brandon Ingram had 19 points and six assists and Jonas Valanciunas hit for 18 points.
Vassell lead the Spurs with 28 points. Tre Jones added 20, Victor Wembanyama had 16 points and 14 rebounds and Sochan racked up 15 points and 16 rebounds for San Antonio.
The Spurs dominated the first quarter, never trailing. San Antonio built an eight-point lead on a dunk by Zack Collins with 1:50 to go in the period. Blake Wesley’s running dunk with 34.6 seconds remaining spotted San Antonio a 33-24 edge after 12 minutes of play.
New Orleans swung back, tying the game at 40 on Williamson’s reverse layup with 7:43 to play in the second quarter. The Pelicans took their first lead of the game on their next possession when McCollum canned a 3-pointer.
But that seemed to re-energize San Antonio, which forged a 61-51 advantage on Malaki Branham’s jumper from beyond the arc with 2:25 left. Wembanyama produced a highlight-reel three-point play to end the half and grant the Spurs a 65-58 advantage at the break.
Williamson led all scorers with 15 points at the half, while Wembanyama’s 14 points paced San Antonio.
The Spurs pushed their lead to a dozen points on Jones’ reverse layup four minutes into the third quarter before New Orleans battled back, tying the game at 81 on Dyson Daniels’ layup at the 3:11 mark.
–Field Level Media