A game filled with rare and exceedingly positive occurrences for New Orleans began with a franchise record for first-quarter defense Friday, continued with a second-quarter ejection by the opposing head coach and was punctuated by the most one-sided Pelicans victory at San Antonio in team history.
New Orleans led 35-10 through a quarter, the fewest points the Pelicans have ever allowed in a game’s initial 12 minutes. After San Antonio’s Gregg Popovich was sent to the locker room with two technical fouls, the Pelicans kept adding to their lead, going up 64-33 at intermission. New Orleans had won by double digits in AT&T Center only once in franchise history – in 2008, with a 24-point margin – making a 33-point triumph its biggest ever in the Alamo City.