CJ McCollum was pouring in the points, as was Brandon Ingram and Jonas Valanciunas. Rookie guard Jose Alvarado was draining threes from deep, while fellow first-year pro Herbert Jones was a menace on defense, blocking shots and stealing the ball.
With the season on the line Wednesday in an elimination game vs. San Antonio, New Orleans displayed many of the reasons the Pelicans reached the Western Conference postseason in the first place, overwhelming the Spurs for much of the first three quarters. San Antonio mounted a fourth-quarter comeback to get as close as six points on the scoreboard, before the hosts put it away in crunch time.