Trey Murphy III's Return Ignites Pelicans Victory Over Spurs
New Orleans, LA - The New Orleans Pelicans defeated the San Antonio Spurs 121-106 on Friday evening. The loss for the Spurs is their 14th in a row after starting the season 3-2. New Orleans moves to two games over .500 and 8-4 at the Smoothie King Center. Trey Murphy III made his season debut for New Orleans, while Spurs rookie phenom Victor Wembanyama missed his first game of the year with hip soreness.
Even though the San Antonio Spurs played the night before, it was the Pelicans who were a step slow to start the game. The Spurs opened up on an 8-2 run at the beginning with an array of ball movement that showed why they are third in the NBA in assists. Jonas Valanciunas kept the Pels in the game with his dominant play in the paint. Jonas scored 10 points in the quarter, leading the Pelicans in points and helping them outscore the Spurs 16-10 in the restricted area.
Trey Murphy III entered the game and quickly made an impact. Trey hit his second shot of the game and also threw down a thunderous dunk to end the quarter. New Orleans led 32-31 despite Zion Williamson not attempting a shot in the quarter.
Zion quickly made his presence felt early to start the second quarter. Williamson scored eight points in two and a half minutes to help the Pels extend their lead. The Spurs would not let New Orleans run away with the game as they used their three-point shooting to stay in the game. San Antonio shot 50% from the three-point line and held a +18 advantage over the Pels, who shot just 23% from three. Brandon Ingram struggled mightily in the half, shooting 0/7 in the game.
Dec 1, 2023; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans guard Trey Murphy III (25) goes to the basket against San Antonio Spurs forward Cedi Osman (16) during the first half at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports
The Pelicans again relied on Jonas Valanciunas for scoring. JV scored nine points in the quarter for a game-high 19 points at halftime. New Orleans grabbed the lead after Naji Marshall's drive and bucket with 0.1 seconds left in the half. The Pels led 63-61 at the break.
New Orleans created some cushion in the third quarter thanks to Trey Murphy III. Trey scored 8 points in the quarter and looked to re-create the shooting form he's renowned for. After grabbing their biggest lead of the night at 11, New Orleans couldn't extend it past that. San Antonio stayed within striking distance with a late three-point shot to cut the lead to eight before the start of the fourth.
CJ McCollum opened the fourth, scoring the Pelicans' first six points of the quarter before once again Trey Murphy III made his presence felt. Two straight three-point shots from Trey gave New Orleans its biggest lead of the game at 15 points, and had the Smoothie King Center crowd rocking. The Spurs would not threaten anymore as the Pels won their fourth straight home game.
New Orleans was great from the free-throw line, shooting 93% from the stripe. Free throw shooting was an issue earlier in the season, but the Pelicans have rectified it as of late. Jonas Valanciunas led the Pelicans with 24 points, while CJ McCollum scored 19 points on the night. Trey Murphy III finished with 18 in his return to play.
The Pelicans are on the road Saturday night as they travel to Chicago to take on the Bulls.
