The San Antonio Spurs clawed out a gritty 135–132 victory against the New Orleans Pelicans, escaping a second‑straight meltdown after halftime. After building a 20‑point lead by halftime, the Spurs collapsed in the third — surrendering 45 points — turning what looked like a blowout win into a nail‑biter.
But thanks to a clutch performance off the bench from rookie guard Dylan Harper, the Spurs held on. Harper — coming off a rough outing in their last game — responded with a season‑high 22 points. He calmly drove to the rim and sank the go‑ahead bucket with 9.1 seconds left, then iced the game at the free‑throw line after a late rally by New Orleans clawed the lead back.
On the Pelicans’ side, rookie big man Derik Queen nearly willed his team back into contention with a 33‑point triple‑double and swarming defense that included 4 blocks. His third‑quarter surge, backed by hot shooting and aggressive paint work, erased a double‑digit deficit and put New Orleans in control heading into the final period.
Despite the collapse, the Spurs had enough firepower — from the backcourt trio, bench contributors like Julian Champagnie and Kelly Olynyk, and starter Harrison Barnes — to hold off the rally. Stephon Castle also returned, adding another ball‑handler alongside Harper and De’Aaron Fox. The victory improved San Antonio’s record to 16–7 and kept intact their perfect slate against sub‑.500 teams.
Yet, the third‑quarter collapse underlined a persistent problem: inconsistent defense and lapses right after halftime that could haunt them down the stretch.
The Spurs will now head to Los Angeles for a showdown with the Los Angeles Lakers — possibly with star forward Victor Wembanyama back in action.