Devonte' Graham Leads San Antonio Spurs to Comeback Win vs. New Orleans Pelicans

Victor Wembanyama and Devonte' Graham came up with some crucial plays down the stretch to lead the San Antonio Spurs past the New Orleans Pelicans.

Mar 26, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard Devonte' Graham (4). / Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports

The San Antonio Spurs played spoiler to the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center on Friday, using a 111-109 win to prevent the Pels from rising out of the No. 7 spot in the Western Conference Play-In to keeping the late-season playoff race even more interesting

In a game where both teams had significant absences due to injuries, it was Spurs veteran guard and former Pelican Devonte' Graham that stole the show. after San Antonio (19-58) trailed by as many as 15 He scored a season-best and team-high 20 points off the bench after appearing in just 17 games this year headed into Friday.

Spurs rookie star Victor Wembanyama nearly had a triple-double despite not hitting a field goal in the first half. He finished with 17 points, 12 rebounds, nine assists and three blocks.

Apr 5, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1). / Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

Wemby blocked Herb Jones' shot in the paint with 12.1 seconds left and Graham hit two big free throws to stretch the lead to three. The Pelicans tried to get off a triple on the final possession, but the Spurs came up with a game-winning stop on defense.

The Pelcians (45-32) were without stars Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram, but were led guard C.J McCollum, who scored a game-high 31 points to go along with six rebounds.

Both teams got off to a slow start on offense, as the Pelicans led 27-18 after a low-scoring first quarter. New Orleans

Already with a season-high in scoring, Graham ended the third quarter with a pair of triples, the second of which rattled in at the buzzer to send the game to the fourth tied at 86. The Spurs had trailed by as many as 14 in the quarter, but found a timely spark on the road.

From here, the Spurs used an all-around effort on both ends to hold off a Pelicans squad that has postseason stakes to play for.