Williamson caps 33-point outing with winning layup as Pelicans overcome Spurs 114-113
SAN ANTONIO (AP) Zion Williamson had 33 points, including the winning layup over Victor Wembanyama and two other defenders with 3.8 seconds left, and the New Orleans Pelicans beat the San Antonio Spurs 114-113 on Friday night.
“I don’t know how he made it,” New Orleans guard Jose Alvarado said. “He’s going down full speed. Three guys at home with him, full speed. Wemby was there. That was one of the guys. Amazing shot blocker and he still gets it off high off the glass.”
Williamson shot 12 for 21 from the field and had four points in the final 29 seconds as New Orleans won its second straight to finish its road trip 2-2.
Wembanyama had blocked Williamson two possessions earlier, but the No. 1 pick in 2019 by New Orleans was not about to let this year’s top selection do it again. Williamson charged at Jeremy Sochan and Devin Vassell and stayed a step ahead of Wembanyama.
“I just trust my game,” Williamson said. “In that situation, transition, I can get downhill really well.”
C.J. McCollum added 21 points and Brandon Ingram had 19 for the Pelicans.
Devin Vassell had 28 points, but missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer for San Antonio.
“We’d rather throw it the rim and go dunk it, but that’s the shot we got,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said of Vassell’s missed 3.
Jeremy Sochan finished with 15 points and 16 rebounds, Wembanyama added 16 points and 12 rebounds and Tre Jones had 20 points for the Spurs.
San Antonio is 2-4 entering the finale of a seven-game homestand Saturday against Cleveland. The Spurs open their annual three-week road trip Wednesday in Miami as the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo occupies the Frost Bank Center.
San Antonio was unable to overcome 18 turnovers, including three while inbounding.
One highlight for the Spurs came when Wembanyama completed a three-point play after throwing in a runner from behind the backboard in the final seconds of the first half.
“Victor is a very special player,” Williamson said. “We were just talking about it in the locker room. He’s a dude that can get two or three Defensive Player of the Year (awards). I don’t want to put no limit on it, but he can get Defensive Player of Years and MVPs. We haven’t seen nothing like that. We’ve seen things close, but not like that.”
Wembanyama finished 7 for 14 from the field but took only two shots while playing 9:51 in the final quarter. He did not touch the ball on the Spurs’ final possession.
New Orleans had six players score eight or more points in a balanced effort to overcome Wembanyama and an electric game by Sochan.
With his dyed blonde hair and frenetic energy, Sochan brought back memories of former Spurs forward Dennis Rodman. After missing a follow layup, Sochan tore the ball from Murphy’s hands and charged the rim for a reverse layup.
In the third quarter, Sochan followed Wembanyama’s missed scoop layup with a two-handed dunk.
“He's playing great right now," Vassell said. "I love when he's aggressive.”
UP NEXT
Pelicans: Host Toronto on Monday.
Spurs: Host Cleveland on Saturday.
-
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
Copyright 2025 STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited.
| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 |  | Jonas Valanciunas vs. Victor Wembanyama (Julian Champagnie gains possession) | ||
| 11:40 | | Jeremy Sochan misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:38 | | Victor Wembanyama offensive rebound | ||
| 11:34 | | +2 | Victor Wembanyama makes two point putback layup | 0-2 |
| 11:17 |  | +2 | Jonas Valanciunas makes two point layup (Zion Williamson assists) | 2-2 |
| 11:09 | | +3 | Devin Vassell makes three point pullup jump shot (Jeremy Sochan assists) | 2-5 |
| 10:51 | | Brandon Ingram misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 10:49 | | Tre Jones defensive rebound | ||
| 10:41 | | +2 | Devin Vassell makes two point pullup jump shot (Tre Jones assists) | 2-7 |
| 10:25 | | CJ McCollum misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 10:21 | | Julian Champagnie defensive rebound | ||
| 10:13 | | Victor Wembanyama turnover (bad pass) (Trey Murphy III steals) | ||
| 10:06 | | +2 | CJ McCollum makes two point driving floating bank jump shot | 4-7 |
| 9:51 | | Devin Vassell misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 9:49 | | Jonas Valanciunas defensive rebound | ||
| 9:43 | | +2 | Zion Williamson makes two point layup (Brandon Ingram assists) | 6-7 |
| 9:29 | | +2 | Victor Wembanyama makes two point driving reverse layup (Jeremy Sochan assists) | 6-9 |
| 9:16 | | +2 | Trey Murphy III makes two point driving floating jump shot (CJ McCollum assists) | 8-9 |
| 9:03 | | +2 | Jeremy Sochan makes two point driving layup (Tre Jones assists) | 8-11 |
| 8:45 | | Victor Wembanyama blocks Brandon Ingram's two point driving layup | ||
| 8:42 | | Julian Champagnie defensive rebound | ||
| 8:39 | | +2 | Jeremy Sochan makes two point running layup (Julian Champagnie assists) | 8-13 |
| 8:23 | | +3 | Brandon Ingram makes three point jump shot (Jonas Valanciunas assists) | 11-13 |
| 8:08 | | +2 | Tre Jones makes two point layup (Victor Wembanyama assists) | 11-15 |
| 7:53 | | Julian Champagnie blocks Zion Williamson's two point driving layup | ||
| 7:50 | | Zion Williamson offensive rebound | ||
| 7:39 | | +2 | Zion Williamson makes two point driving finger roll layup (Brandon Ingram assists) | 13-15 |
| 7:25 | | Brandon Ingram personal foul (Julian Champagnie draws the foul) | ||
| 7:11 | | Tre Jones misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:05 | | Jonas Valanciunas defensive rebound | ||
| 6:59 | | Zion Williamson misses two point running layup | ||
| 6:55 | | Jonas Valanciunas offensive rebound | ||
| 6:55 | | Julian Champagnie blocks Jonas Valanciunas's two point putback layup | ||
| 6:53 | | Tre Jones defensive rebound | ||
| 6:52 | | Spurs 60 second timeout | ||
| 6:50 | | Tre Jones turnover (bad pass) (Trey Murphy III steals) | ||
| 6:35 | | Julian Champagnie blocks Trey Murphy III's two point driving layup | ||
| 6:30 | | Jonas Valanciunas offensive rebound | ||
| 6:30 | | +2 | Jonas Valanciunas makes two point putback layup | 15-15 |
| 6:18 | | Julian Champagnie misses three point jump shot | ||
| 6:14 | | Jonas Valanciunas defensive rebound | ||
| 5:55 | | CJ McCollum misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 5:52 | | Tre Jones defensive rebound | ||
| 5:47 | | Julian Champagnie misses three point running jump shot | ||
| 5:47 | | CJ McCollum defensive rebound | ||
| 5:41 | | CJ McCollum turnover (out of bounds lost ball) | ||
| 5:27 | | +2 | Devin Vassell makes two point stepback jump shot | 15-17 |
| 5:16 | | Jeremy Sochan shooting foul (Brandon Ingram draws the foul) | ||
| 5:16 | | +1 | Brandon Ingram makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 16-17 |
| 5:16 | | +1 | Brandon Ingram makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 17-17 |
| 5:03 | | +2 | Blake Wesley makes two point driving layup | 17-19 |
| 4:41 | | Blake Wesley shooting foul (CJ McCollum draws the foul) | ||
| 4:41 | | CJ McCollum misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 4:41 | | Pelicans offensive rebound | ||
| 4:41 | | +1 | CJ McCollum makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 18-19 |
| 4:24 | | Devin Vassell misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 4:20 | | Jeremy Sochan offensive rebound | ||
| 4:20 | | Jeremy Sochan misses two point tip layup | ||
| 4:20 | | Jeremy Sochan offensive rebound | ||
| 4:16 | | +2 | Jeremy Sochan makes two point layup | 18-21 |
| 4:02 | | Jordan Hawkins misses three point jump shot | ||
| 4:02 | | Devin Vassell defensive rebound | ||
| 3:51 | | +3 | Devin Vassell makes three point jump shot (Blake Wesley assists) | 18-24 |
| 3:35 | | +2 | Jonas Valanciunas makes two point layup (CJ McCollum assists) | 20-24 |
| 3:22 | | Zach Collins misses two point driving layup | ||
| 3:19 | | Jonas Valanciunas defensive rebound | ||
| 3:17 | | Jordan Hawkins misses three point running jump shot | ||
| 3:13 | | Jeremy Sochan defensive rebound | ||
| 3:06 | | +2 | Zach Collins makes two point floating jump shot (Blake Wesley assists) | 20-26 |
| 2:59 | | Pelicans 60 second timeout | ||
| 2:57 | | Naji Marshall turnover | ||
| 2:32 | | Zach Collins misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 2:28 | | Cody Zeller defensive rebound | ||
| 2:18 | | Zion Williamson misses two point driving layup | ||
| 2:15 | | Jeremy Sochan defensive rebound | ||
| 2:04 | | Zach Collins misses two point hook shot | ||
| 2:02 | | Zion Williamson defensive rebound | ||
| 1:58 | | Naji Marshall misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 1:57 | | Jeremy Sochan defensive rebound | ||
| 1:50 | | +2 | Zach Collins makes two point dunk (Blake Wesley assists) | 20-28 |
| 1:36 | | Cody Zeller turnover (bad pass) (Cedi Osman steals) | ||
| 1:31 | | Cedi Osman misses two point running layup | ||
| 1:27 | | Zion Williamson defensive rebound | ||
| 1:24 | | Naji Marshall misses three point running jump shot | ||
| 1:22 | | Naji Marshall offensive rebound | ||
| 1:19 | | +2 | Naji Marshall makes two point floating jump shot | 22-28 |
| 1:05 | | Jeremy Sochan turnover (lost ball) (Zion Williamson steals) | ||
| 1:01 | | +2 | Trey Murphy III makes two point running dunk (Naji Marshall assists) | 24-28 |
| 0:49 | | +3 | Cedi Osman makes three point jump shot (Blake Wesley assists) | 24-31 |
| 0:38 | | Zion Williamson turnover (lost ball) (Cedi Osman steals) | ||
| 0:34 | | +2 | Blake Wesley makes two point running dunk (Devin Vassell assists) | 24-33 |
| 0:20 | | Trey Murphy III misses two point turnaround jump shot | ||
| 0:20 | | Cody Zeller offensive rebound | ||
| 0:16 | | Devin Vassell blocks Trey Murphy III's two point layup | ||
| 0:11 | | Blake Wesley defensive rebound | ||
| 0:00 | | Jeremy Sochan misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 0:00 | | Spurs offensive rebound | ||
| 0:00 | | End of period |
| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:36 | | +2 | Jordan Hawkins makes two point pullup jump shot (Cody Zeller assists) | 26-33 |
| 11:25 | | Cedi Osman offensive foul (Charge) (Cody Zeller draws the foul) | ||
| 11:25 | | Cedi Osman turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 11:13 | | Jordan Hawkins misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:10 | | Dyson Daniels offensive rebound | ||
| 11:06 | | CJ McCollum misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:06 | | Zion Williamson offensive rebound | ||
| 11:00 | | +3 | CJ McCollum makes three point jump shot (Zion Williamson assists) | 29-33 |
| 10:45 | | Cedi Osman misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:42 | | Dyson Daniels defensive rebound | ||
| 10:39 | | Cedi Osman blocks Zion Williamson's two point running layup | ||
| 10:36 | | Doug McDermott defensive rebound | ||
| 10:33 | | Cedi Osman misses three point running jump shot | ||
| 10:30 | | Victor Wembanyama offensive rebound | ||
| 10:26 | | +2 | Tre Jones makes two point driving layup (Victor Wembanyama assists) | 29-35 |
| 10:08 | | +2 | Zion Williamson makes two point pullup jump shot | 31-35 |
| 10:08 | | Victor Wembanyama shooting foul (Zion Williamson draws the foul) | ||
| 10:08 | | +1 | Zion Williamson makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 32-35 |
| 9:54 | | Cedi Osman turnover (bad pass) (Cody Zeller steals) | ||
| 9:51 | | Dyson Daniels turnover (traveling) | ||
| 9:35 | | +2 | Victor Wembanyama makes two point layup | 32-37 |
| 9:35 | | Cody Zeller shooting foul (Victor Wembanyama draws the foul) | ||
| 9:35 | | +1 | Victor Wembanyama makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 32-38 |
| 9:24 | | Cedi Osman shooting foul (Zion Williamson draws the foul) | ||
| 9:24 | | +1 | Zion Williamson makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 33-38 |
| 9:24 | | Zion Williamson misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | ||
| 9:22 | | Victor Wembanyama defensive rebound | ||
| 9:10 | | Tre Jones turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 8:55 | | Jordan Hawkins misses three point jump shot | ||
| 8:51 | | Victor Wembanyama defensive rebound | ||
| 8:45 | | Victor Wembanyama turnover (bad pass) (Cody Zeller steals) | ||
| 8:40 | | +3 | CJ McCollum makes three point running jump shot (Dyson Daniels assists) | 36-38 |
| 8:39 | | Spurs 60 second timeout | ||
| 8:25 | | +2 | Victor Wembanyama makes two point jump shot (Julian Champagnie assists) | 36-40 |
| 8:04 | | +2 | CJ McCollum makes two point stepback jump shot | 38-40 |
| 7:50 | | Doug McDermott misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 7:47 | | CJ McCollum defensive rebound | ||
| 7:43 | | +2 | Zion Williamson makes two point running reverse layup | 40-40 |
| 7:23 | | +2 | Victor Wembanyama makes two point dunk (Malaki Branham assists) | 40-42 |
| 7:11 | | +3 | CJ McCollum makes three point pullup jump shot | 43-42 |
| 6:55 | | CJ McCollum flagrant 1 (Tre Jones draws the foul) | ||
| 6:55 | | +1 | Tre Jones makes flagrant free throw 1 of 2 | 43-43 |
| 6:55 | | Tre Jones misses flagrant free throw 2 of 2 | ||
| 6:52 | | +2 | Julian Champagnie makes two point reverse layup (Victor Wembanyama assists) | 43-45 |
| 6:30 | | Naji Marshall misses three point jump shot | ||
| 6:27 | | Tre Jones defensive rebound | ||
| 6:15 | | Victor Wembanyama misses two point driving hook shot | ||
| 6:13 | | Malaki Branham offensive rebound | ||
| 6:10 | | Victor Wembanyama misses three point jump shot | ||
| 6:08 | | Naji Marshall defensive rebound | ||
| 5:53 | | Trey Murphy III turnover (bad pass) (Victor Wembanyama steals) | ||
| 5:48 | | +3 | Tre Jones makes three point running pullup jump shot (Julian Champagnie assists) | 43-48 |
| 5:47 | | Pelicans 60 second timeout | ||