Spurs (52-9), Pelicans (23-37)
For a second straight night, New Orleans put itself in position to knock off a Southwest Division rival by playing well over the first 45 minutes or so of the game. For a second straight, the opposition found a way to win in crunch time. Thursday’s meeting with San Antonio was tied at 86 with under three minutes remaining, but New Orleans was blanked the rest of the game. The red-hot Spurs came up with a series of big shots, including a Patty Mills trey to make it a five-point game with 1:21 left.