SAS vs NOP: New Orleans (AP) Dejounte Murray had 31 points and 12 rebounds, and the San Antonio Spurs beat the New Orleans Pelicans 124-114 on Saturday night to give them a pair of double-digit, wire-to-wire road victories in the span of 24 hours.
SAS vs NOP: Prediction| Lineup| Box score| Result
Prediction:
Murray controlled the game with a combination of accurate perimeter shooting on pull-ups and fades alike, explosive drives and forceful finishing around the basket.
”That’s a superstar right there. Plain and simple,” said Spurs guard Lonnie Walker, who scored 17 points. ”It’s like he’s getting better and better and better, which is absolutely scary.”
Keldon Johnson added 16 points and Doug McDermott had 15 for the Spurs (22-35), who have remained within touching distance of the final Western Conference play-in spot.
Lineup:
”Hell yeah, we’re playing for the playoffs,” Murray said. ”Nobody is here to lose.
”When we lose, it’s quiet, and people are down,” Murray continued. ”When we win, you can feel the excitement in the room from everybody.”
And while it’s unusual for teams more than 10 games below .500 to play two straight nights on the road without trailing at all, never mind winning by 10 or more, Walker sees San Antonio’s recent form as indicative of his team’s potential during the final third of the regular season.
Box Score:
| Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | FINAL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAS | 37 | 22 | 39 | 26 | 124 |
| NOP | 33 | 20 | 29 | 32 | 114 |
”It’s just growth; we’re a young team, but we’re a hell of a team,” Walker said. ”We have a lot of great players. We have a super star in the making. We’re only going to get better and better.”
CJ McCollum had a season-high 36 points on 15-of-24 shooting and grabbed 11 rebounds for New Orleans (22-34), which occupied the 10th and final play-in spot in the Western Conference standings when it acquired the star guard from Portland on Tuesday, but is 0-2 since.
One night after making 18 3s in a victory at Atlanta, the Spurs made 14 of 37 (37.8%). The Pelicans made 11 of 34 (34.4%) from 3-point range, but several of their made 3s came after they’d fallen behind by 18 in the fourth quarter. Devonte’ Graham, normally one of New Orleans top 3-point threats, missed all six of his shots – four from deep – and did not score.
Result:
The San Antonio Spurs are averaging 112.9 points on 46.6 percent shooting and allowing 113.4 points on 46.9 percent shooting.
Dejounte Murray is averaging 20.9 points and 8.3 rebounds, while Keldon Johnson is averaging 16.4 points and 1.9 assists. Jakob Poeltl is the third double-digit scorer and Lonnie Walker IV is dishing 2.1 assists.
The San Antonio Spurs are shooting 35.2 percent from beyond the arc and 74.8 percent from the free throw line. The San Antonio Spurs are allowing 35.8 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 45.3 rebounds per game.
 Dejounte Murray had 31 points and 12 rebounds, and the San Antonio Spurs beat the New Orleans Pelicans 124-114){kind=link}