On Tuesday, February 25, the New Orleans Pelicans won their second game in a row against the San Antonio Spurs, 109-103. The Spurs are now on a three-game skid since losing Victor Wembanyama to a shocking deep vein thrombosis diagnosis that’ll hold him out at least for the remainder of the season, although his team doctors are hopeful that he’ll be ready for next year’s tip-off.
The Pelicans, on the other hand, have started a winning streak, just their fourth of the season. This win moved them ahead of the Utah Jazz, into the 14th seed, and out of the bottom of the Western Conference standings for the first time in a long time. It was a valiant comeback effort from a team that’s grown quite accustomed to falling apart in the fourth quarter. The Spurs led by as much as 19 at one point and held their lead throughout the entire game until the final period. A strong team effort and some late-game heroics from Zion Williamson gave New Orleans the edge for good.
Zion finished with 18 points, six of which came in the fourth, to go with six rebounds and three assists on 8-15 shooting. Trey Murphy III led the way for the Pelicans with 24 points. He also tallied two steals and two blocks. The new star duo put up another nice showing, although they didn’t share the floor as much as they could have — a trend that’s been a bit concerning to the fans.
Bruce Brown Jr. had his best game yet for New Orleans, finishing a game-high +20 while contributing eight points, six rebounds, six assists, and three steals, showcasing his jack-of-all-trades abilities. Performances like these will go a long way toward convincing the Pelicans to re-sign him.
The Pelicans make good on their promise to convert Brandon Boston Jr. to a standard contract
Earlier this season, the Pelicans were scrambling for bodies amid all of the devastating injuries to their roster. That sticky situation presented them an unforeseen gift though, in the form of one of the best two-way contracts in the entire league this season.
New Orleans originally gave Brandon Boston Jr. a 10-day contract, but it took him no time to earn a two-way deal from the Pelicans. He only continued to impress from there. On the season, he’s averaging 10.7 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.2 assists while shooting 44 percent from the field and 35 from 3-point land. Still only 23 years old, Boston Jr. has flashed potential in some areas that New Orleans was deeply lacking, even before the injuries, including shot creation and playmaking off of the dribble.
He’ll now be signed through next season after inking a standard two-year deal with the Pelicans. New Orleans cleared up a roster spot and the financial flexibility to complete this move by buying out Javonte Green after the trade deadline.