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Spurs vs. Pelicans Play-In Game: New Orleans advances to next Play-In game after defeating San Antonio

Nick Metallinos

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Spurs vs. Pelicans Play-In Game: New Orleans advances to next Play-In game after defeating San Antonio image

The New Orleans Pelicans didn't quite lead this game from start to finish, but they led for a large chunk of it and comfortably reached the next round of the Play-In tournament.

The Pelicans move on to face the Los Angeles Clippers, and if they get through that, a date with the Phoenix Suns awaits as a reward. 

Since acquiring CJ McCollum, Larry Nance Jr. and Tony Snell in a deal with the Trail Blazers at the trade deadline,  the Pelicans have proven to be a fun team to watch, finishing over .500 during the final two-plus months to secure the No. 9 seed, and it was McCollum and Ingram who led the way again on Wednesday. 

McCollum finished with 32 points (27 in the first half) on 12-of-23 shooting, seven assists and six rebounds, while Ingram added 27 points (11-of-19 shooting) along with five rebounds and five assists. 

The Spurs, meanwhile, have lost in the Play-In tournament for two consecutive seasons now, marking the first time in franchise history that they have not made the playoffs for three straight seasons.

The Sporting News tracked live scoring updates and highlights from Spurs vs. Pelicans on Wednesday. Follow along here for the complete results from the Play-In Tournament game.

Spurs vs. Pelicans score

  Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 F
Spurs 22 28 25 28 103
Pelicans 26 35 31 21 113

Spurs vs. Pelicans live score, updates, highlights from NBA Play-In Game

Final score: Pelicans 113, Spurs 103

00:00 a.m: Behind CJ McCollum and Brandon Ingram the Pelicans hold off and move on to face the Los Angeles Clippers in the next stage of the Play-In tournament. 

11:48 p.m: The Spurs are cutting into this lead! 

11:39 p.m: San Antonio is on a 13-1 and has cut the Pels' lead to nine - they trail 97-88 with 7:25 left in the fourth. 

11:36 p.m: Keldon Johnson and Dejounte Murray have started out the fourth aggressively. 

End of the third quarter: Pelicans 92, Spurs 75

11:16 p.m: Now it's Jonas Valencuinas' turn to cook. He has eight points in this quarter. 

11:13 p.m: Pelicans out to their biggest lead of the game. 81-62.

11:03 p.m: NEWS FLASH. CJ McCollum finally missed. 

End of the second quarter: Pelicans 61, Spurs 50

10:49 p.m: CJ McCollum has been tremendous in the first half. He has 27 points on 10-of-12 shooting. 

10:29 p.m: Timeout. The Spurs have closed it to six points with Murray on the bench. They trail 45-39. 

10:27 p.m: "That dude's bag has a bag" - Mark Jones 

10:19 p.m: CJ McCollum is cooking right now. He has nine points in the first three minutes of the second quarter, and 17 for the game. 

10:17 p.m: Dejounte Murray picks up his third foul and this time Popovich takes him out of the game. 

End of first quarter: Pelicans 26, Spurs 22

10:11 p.m: Herb Jones gives the Pelicans a four-point lead at the buzzer. 

9:59 p.m: OH MY BRANDON INGRAM! 

9:51 p.m: Dejounte Murray picks up his second foul but a huge amount of trust is shown by Gregg Popovich who is keeping Murray in the game. 

9:49 p.m: Can we take a moment to appreciate Keldon Johnson's bright green Kobe VI's? 

9:45 p.m: We are underway with the 'Red Out' in New Orleans

What channel is Spurs vs. Pelicans on?

  • Date: Wednesday, April 13
  • TV channel: ESPN (US), SN 360 (Canada)
  • Live stream: Watch ESPN (US), SN Now (Canada)

Spurs vs. Pelicans will be broadcast live on ESPN. You can live-stream the game via the Watch ESPN app. In Canada, Spurs vs. Pelicans will be broadcast on SN 360.

Viewers in the U.S. can stream every NBA playoff game live on SLING TV. With the SLING Orange Sports Extra package, get $10 off your first month now with access to ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, TNT and NBATV. NBA Playoff games on ABC are simulcast on ESPN3, which is included with SLING Orange, available for $35 per month including $25 the first month for new subscribers.

MORE: Watch the NBA playoffs on Sling TV (U.S. only)

Viewers in Canada can stream the game on SN Now.

Spurs vs. Pelicans start time

  • Date: Wednesday, April 13
  • Start time: 9:30 p.m. ET | 6:30 p.m. PT

The 9:30 p.m. ET tipoff marks the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader. Hornets vs. Hawks will be broadcast live on ESPN at 7 p.m. ET.

How does the NBA Play-In Tournament work?

  • The NBA Play-In Tournament will be held after the conclusion of the 2021-22 regular season and before the start of the first round of the 2022 NBA Playoffs. The teams that finish Nos. 1-6 in the standings of each conference will be guaranteed playoff spots. Teams Nos. 7-10 will enter the Play-In Tournament.
  • Each conference's Nos. 7 and 8 teams will face off, with the winner earning the No. 7 seed in the playoffs. The loser will still have one more opportunity to reach the playoffs.
  • Each conference's Nos. 9 and 10 teams will face off, with the winner advancing to play the loser of the No. 7-vs.-No. 8 game. The loser of the No. 9-vs.-No. 10 game will be eliminated from playoff contention.
  • The loser of the No. 7-vs.-No. 8 game and the winner of the No. 9-vs.-No. 10 game will then play against each other. The winner of that game will be the No. 8 seed in the playoffs. The loser will be eliminated from playoff contention.
  • Beyond the Play-In Tournament, the 2022 NBA Playoffs will follow the typical format, with full best-of-seven series all the way through the NBA Finals.

NBA Play-In Tournament schedule

April 12

Game
Nets 115, Cavaliers 108
Timberwolves 109, Clippers 104

April 13

Game Time (ET) National TV
Hornets vs. Hawks 7 p.m. ESPN
Spurs vs. Pelicans 9:30 p.m. ESPN

April 15

Game Time (ET) National TV
TBD vs. Cavaliers 7:30 p.m. ESPN
TBD vs. Clippers 10 p.m. TNT

Nick Metallinos

Nick Metallinos Photo

Nick has been working exclusively within the NBA world for over a decade. He hosted 46 episodes of Ball or Nothin' - a show screened on ESPN highlighting the social media aspects of the NBA. Nick has covered 3 NBA Finals, 5 NBA All-Star weekends, 8 NBA drafts, 5 Jordan Brand Classics plus dozens of playoff games and hundreds of regular season games. 
Nick spends his spare time trying to decide which sneakers best match his outfit.