San Antonio Spurs bolstered their postseason hopes with the 107-103 victory over the 10th seeded New Orleans Pelicans. San Antonio is 1.0 game behind their last night’s opponents.
The Spurs had a clear plan from the start of the game avoiding giving up easy baskets in the paint. San Antonio repeatedly helped inside by leaving Herb Jones open and didn’t pay for it, as the defensive specialist kept missing shots.
On the other hand, the Silver and Black had their own struggles. The Pelicans nearly wiped out a 10-point deficit in the final 3:43 and had the ball, down 105-103, in the final seconds.
However, the Spurs were able to hold off for the win as Jose Alvarado, who had a career-high 23 points, missed the go-ahead three. Jock Landale had a great fourth-quarter performance for the hosts with 10 points and seven rebounds.
”We kind of all understood what this game meant to our record and the chase with those guys,” Landale said, per NBA.com.
”There was a different level of intensity in the locker room and walking out on the court. … It was just good to see it all come together down the stretch.”
San Antonio went to twin towers lineups with Landale and Jacob Poeltl to face the Pelicans’ size. New Orleans has used several combinations of big lineups with Jonas Valanciunas and Jaxson Hayes.
The Spurs finished the game with 49 rebounds and 16 offensive rebounds, while Dejounte Murray led San Antonio with his triple-double.
Murray had 15 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds, while Keldon Johnson added 21 points included a breakaway dunk in the final seconds of the game.
The Spurs may have the chance to get in the play-in spots Sunday with the Pelicans facing the Lakers on Sunday. The Lakers are 1.5 games ahead of the 11-seeded Nets.
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