DYLAN Harper sank a go-ahead basket with nine seconds left as San Antonio Spurs escaped with a 135-132 victory over New Orleans Pelicans in the 2025-26 NBA Regular Season on Monday night (Tuesday in the Philippines) in New Orleans.
The Filipino-American rookie capped his 22-point outing with a driving floater that broke a 132-all tie, helping San Antonio survive after squandering a 20-point halftime lead.
Harrison Barnes led the Spurs with 24 points, while De’Aaron Fox added 14 and hit a free throw with 1.1 seconds remaining to seal the win. Stephon Castle scored 18 points, and Julian Champagnie finished with 17.
The Pelicans opened the second half with an 11-0 run and outscored the Spurs 45–23 in the third quarter, powered by Queen’s dominant stretch. But Harper’s poise in the final minutes helped San Antonio regain control.
Despite the loss, Pelicans rookie Derik Queen nearly stole the show with a breakout performance. Queen posted a season-high 33 points — 29 of them in the second half — along with 10 rebounds and 10 assists for his first NBA triple-double.
Trey Murphy III also made his presence felt with 32 for New Orleans, while Herb Jones and Saddiq Bey chipped in 17 apiece. The Pelicans have now lost seven straight games.
Meanwhile, Mark Williams had 22 points and seven rebounds, and Phoenix Suns overcame Anthony Edwards’ 40 points to snap Minnesota Timberwolves’ five-game winning streak with a 108-105 victory.
Collin Gillespie added 19 points and Dillon Brooks had 18 for the Suns, who stunned the Timberwolves with a late rally in their previous meeting but had an easier time Monday.
Edwards shot 15 for 21 and Julius Randle had 21 points, but the rest of Minnesota’s top players struggled. Naz Reid was 2 for 12 off the bench and Jaden McDaniels and Donte DiVincenzo both went 1 for 7.
Andrew Nembhard finished with a double-double of 28 points and 12 assists to go with four rebounds as Indiana Pacers scored a 116-105 win over the slumping Sacramento Kings./PN
