Ingram and Williamson led Pelicans to a first victory at home in a poor game against the Spurs
Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson recorded double-doubles (28 points and 11 rebounds — 18 points and 11 rebounds respectively) and the New Orleans Pelicans held on for a 98–95 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday night.
“As a coach, these are my favorite kinds of wins,” Pelicans head coach Stan Van Gundy said after the game. “Not that I want to shoot like that every night, but to shoot 38% — and 20% from 3 — and be able to get a win against a good team, to me, is a great way to win. The first step is we got to get to where we don’t beat ourselves, and I’m talking specifically about turnovers and fouls.’’
Williamson went 7 of 22 from the field but his third double-double in three games and a career-high five steals.
“That’s a big part of building a wining culture,” Williamson said. “When one thing isn’t working for you, don’t let it affect the other parts of your game, like defense and rebounding.”
Rudy Gay scored 22 points and Lonnie Walker IV had 16 points and made for 3-point shots for the Spurs, who lost for the first time this season. Keldon Johnson had 14 points and 11 rebounds, and Dejounte Murray had 13 points.
“I don’t think we were as sharp as we have been offensively, but the defense allowed us to stay in the game,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “I’m really proud of them for that.”
NEXT GAMES
Spurs will host the Lakers on Wednesday night, while Pelicans will travel to Phoenix to encounter Chris Paul and Devin Booker on Tuesday night.