Davis, Pelicans rally past Spurs after Aldridge injury
SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- Anthony Davis had 26 points and 15 rebounds, and the New Orleans Pelicans rallied in the final two minutes to beat San Antonio 121-116 on Wednesday night, adding to the Spurs' misery after losing LaMarcus Aldridge to an injury in the first half.
New Orleans won its seventh straight after trailing by as many as 15 points.
San Antonio, which has been without superstar forward Kawhi Leonard for all but nine games this season, lost Aldridge to a sprained right ankle late in the first half. Aldridge landed awkwardly while defending a driving hook shot by Davis with three minutes left in the second quarter.
The injury would prove critical down the stretch for the Spurs, who've lost five of their past six. The team did not immediately disclose how long Aldridge will be out.
Jrue Holiday finished with 25 points and Rajon Rondo added 13 points and 12 assists for the Pelicans.
San Antonio had six players in double figures, including 19 from Rudy Gay and 18 from Dejounte Murray.
The Pelicans pulled within 105-102 with eight minutes remaining on a 3-pointer by Darius Miller. Davis' alley-oop dunk gave New Orleans its first lead at 114-113 with just under two minutes left.
After Murray and the Pelicans' E'Twaun Moore exchanged 3-pointers, Holiday collected a turnover by Patty Mills. Holiday was fouled and missed the ensuing free throws, but Davis fought through the smaller Spurs and was fouled while collecting the miss. Davis made two free throws to give New Orleans a 119-116 lead.
Mills and Gay both missed 3-pointers on the Spurs' final possession.
Coming off a feel-good victory at Cleveland on Sunday, the Spurs led throughout the game but lost their momentum with Aldridge in the locker room.
Aldridge finished with eight points, snapping a 59-game streak of scoring in double figures.
TIP-INS
Pelicans: The Pelicans are 18-14 on the road this season, one of only five teams in the West with a winning record away from home. ... Emeka Okafor went scoreless and had one rebound in four minutes in his eighth game with the Pelicans. ... New Orleans had lost five straight in San Antonio. The Pelicans' last victory at the AT&T Center was Nov. 8, 2014.
Spurs: After missing the first 27 games of the season, Leonard has missed 17 games since returning to the sidelines following a nine-game return. ... Pau Gasol (bruised left knee bone) did not play. . Davis Bertans started his eighth game of the season. ... Tony Parker passed Tim Duncan for fourth in Spurs history in steals with 1,026.
UP NEXT
Pelicans: Visit Dallas on Sunday night.
Spurs: Host the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night.
