National Basketball Association
New Orleans 114, San Antonio 113
When: 8:00 PM ET, Friday, February 2, 2024
Where: Frost Bank Center, San Antonio, Texas
Officials: #3 Nick Buchert, #79 John Conley, #74 Curtis Blair
Attendance: 17207

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 score was tied at 88 heading into the fourth quarter, and after the lead swung back and forth.

The score was knotted at 110 after 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 led the Spurs with 28 points. 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 dunk with 34.6 seconds remaining spotted San Antonio a 33-24 edge after 12 minutes of play.

New Orleans swung back, tying the score 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 3-pointer 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 score at 81 on Dyson Daniels' layup at the 3:11 mark.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
New Orleans   San Antonio
Zion Williamson 33 Scoring Devin Vassell 28
Brandon Ingram 6 Assists Tre Jones 7
Jonas Valanciunas 9 Rebounds Jeremy Sochan 16
Zion Williamson 9 Free Throws Made Tre Jones 3
Dyson Daniels 3 Steals Cedi Osman 2
Brandon Ingram 1 Blocks Julian Champagnie 3
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
New Orleans 114 48.4 7-26 15-21 29 39 3 14 9
San Antonio 113 47.9 10-39 11-18 35 55 10 6 18
Upcoming Games
  • San Antonio will play their next game at home against Cleveland. The Spurs have a W/L % of .273 after a win and .184 after a loss.
  • New Orleans will play their next game at home against Toronto. The Pelicans have a W/L % of .536 after a win and .619 after a loss.