Field Level Media
Apr 11, 2018
Jrue Holiday scored 23 points as the New Orleans Pelicans finished the regular season with their fifth consecutive victory, defeating the San Antonio Spurs 122-98 in a battle of playoff-bound teams Wednesday night in New Orleans.
The sixth-seeded Pelicans (48-34) will play the third-seeded Trail Blazers in the first round of the postseason after Portland got past the Utah Jazz 102-93 late Wednesday night.
The Spurs (47-35) are the seventh seed, and they will play the second-seeded Golden State Warriors in the first round.
Anthony Davis had 22 points and 15 rebounds, Nikola Mirotic had 21 points and 15 rebounds, Rajon Rondo had 19 points and 14 assists, E'Twaun Moore scored 13 points and Ian Clark 11 for the Pelicans.
LaMarcus Aldridge, Tony Parker and Dejounte Murray scored 11 points each and Kyle Anderson, Bryn Forbes and Brandon Paul scored 10 each to lead the Spurs.
The Pelicans were dominant inside, outscoring the Spurs, 78-42, in the paint and outrebounding them, 51-38.
New Orleans led by 18 at halftime and Davis scored four points as the Pelicans took a 69-46 lead.
Danny Green made two 3-pointers and Anderson and Forbes made one each as the Spurs chipped away and got within 79-65.
Mirotic and Rondo made consecutive jumpers and Mirotic added a tip-in to give New Orleans an 85-65 lead.
San Antonio scored the next seven points, but Rondo answered with a 3-pointer and a tip-in to give the Pelicans a 90-72 lead after three quarters.
Davis scored New Orleans ' first five points of the fourth quarter and the lead quickly grew to 21.
Mirotic made two 3-pointers and scored eight points as New Orleans took a 27-26 lead after the first quarter.
Holiday scored six points as the Pelicans increased the lead to 38-32, and Anderson scored the next five points to pull San Antonio within one before New Orleans made a push.
Mirotic scored nine points as the Pelicans finished on a 23-6 run to take a 61-43 halftime lead.
--Field Level Media