Spurs take over in fourth quarter to get past Pelicans / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports Credit Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports

Jakob Poeltl and Derrick White scored 24 points each, while Dejounte Murray added a triple double, as the San Antonio Spurs were at their best in the fourth quarter in a 112-97 win over the visiting New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday.

Player of the Game EFF 36 Derrick White Points 24 Accuracy 9-17 Rebounds 8 Assists 9

The Spurs were up by just a point at 83-82 heading into the final quarter but fashioned a 7-0 run to begin that period to equal their biggest lead of the game. San Antonio continued to expand the advantage and rolled to its second win in the past three games.

The game was the second of a home back-to-back for the Spurs, who fell 127-112 to the Denver Nuggets on Saturday.

Murray had 10 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists, while Keldon Johnson added 17 points for San Antonio, Doug McDermott scored 13 and Lonnie Walker IV had 11 points. Poeltl also had 12 rebounds, with seven of those on the offensive end.

Brandon Ingram led all scorers with 27 points for New Orleans. Jonas Valanciunas added 17 points and 12 rebounds, Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 15 points, Josh Hart had 13 points and 10 rebounds and Willy Hernangomez had 10 points for the Pelicans.

The Spurs never trailed in the first quarter, leading by as many as eight points late in the period while getting seven points each from Poeltl, White and Walker IV, while taking a 28-26 advantage. New Orleans stayed close by shooting 50 percent from the floor in the quarter.

The Pelicans kept things close throughout the second quarter, moving to within a point on Hart's 3-pointer with 2:03 to play in the half and then taking the lead after Ingram's bucket a minute later. But San Antonio answered, getting a 3-pointer by McDermott with 12.7 seconds left to take a 54-52 lead at the break.

Poeltl paced all scorers with 13 points by halftime, with White also in double figures for the Spurs with 12. San Antonio held the Pelicans to 42.9 percent shooting in the half and owned a 34-24 edge on the boards.

Valanciunas led New Orleans with 12 points in the half while Alexander-Walker scored 11 and Ingram had 10.

The third quarter went back and forth between the two teams, with no lead larger than the Spurs' seven-point advantage midway through the period.

San Antonio shot 49.5 percent in the game to 42.6 percent for New Orleans and had a 55-42 rebounding advantage.

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