Rookie Derik Queen led a furious Pelicans comeback bid, scoring 29 of his season-high 33 points in the second half, and adding 10 rebounds and 10 assists for his first NBA triple-double.
De’Aaron Fox, who scored 14 points, hit two free throws with 1.1 seconds left for the final margin, which stood after Saddiq Bey’s rushed three-point shot at the horn bounced off the front rim.
Stephon Castle scored 18 points for San Antonio and Julian Champagnie added 17 points, highlighted by his five threes.
Both teams’ biggest stars — the Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama (left calf) and the Pelicans’ Zion Williamson (right hip adductor) — watched from the bench. But their teammates provided plenty of entertainment.
Trey Murphy scored 32 for the Pelicans, who stunningly scored 45 points in the third quarter to turn a 20-point deficit into a 102-100 lead heading into the final quarter.
Herb Jones, returning from a right calf injury that sidelined him for eight games, scored 17 points and Bey also scored 17 in New Orleans’ seventh straight loss.
The Pelicans opened the second half with an 11-0 run. After Murphy dunked for the third time in the first 6:31 of the third quarter, New Orleans had outscored San Antonio 28-10 and trailed just 87-85.
Queen scored 21 in the period, and his free throws gave the Pelicans a 91-90 lead, their first since the middle of the first quarter.
The Spurs hit 11 threes in the first half, six of them during a 42-point second quarter that gave San Antonio a 77-57 lead at halftime.
The Spurs’ first-half point total was their most in any half this season.
Spurs: Visit the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night in the NBA Cup quarterfinals.
Pelicans: Host Portland on Thursday night.
