Dylan Harper spoils Derik Queen’s triple-double in rookie clash

NEW ORLEANS — The postgame jersey swap seemed inevitable after a rookie showcase unfolded at the Smoothie King Center with Dylan Harper helping San Antonio beat New Orleans 135-132 Monday night to spoil a historic night for Pelicans rookie Derik Queen.

“I’m happy for him,” Queen said of Harper. “[I] I played against him in college, I knew him growing up, I played against him in college. I’m just looking forward to more battles against him. I think I was on Twitter or something. Someone said next [draft] the class will be better than us or something. »

Harper and Queen made a strong case for the Class of 2025.

The 13th pick in this year’s NBA draft, Queen scored a game-high 33 points with 10 rebounds, 10 assists and 4 blocks to become the first rookie center in NBA history to produce a 30-point triple-double, according to ESPN Research.

The #2 pick, Harper, finished with a career-high 22 points, along with 3 rebounds and 6 assists.

“Special night for him,” Pelicans interim coach James Borrego said of Queen. “He was great. He did a really good job defensively on the boards, he controlled the offense. We got a lot of things done through him. He was fantastic.”

So did Harper, a left-hander who got past Saddiq Bey with 9.1 seconds left on a physical drive that ended with a layup from the right-hander that gave San Antonio a one-point lead.

“At the beginning of the year, I was a little unsure, a little hesitant, like, ‘Yeah, I’m the new guy. I’m trying to figure it out,'” Harper said. “But as the season went on, my teammates and coaches just encouraged me to be myself. Plays like that just show that I’m going to attack the basket no matter what.”

Teammate Stephon Castle, the reigning NBA Rookie of the Year, took notice.

“He’s just fearless, he hits the paint at all times and finds a shot at will,” he said.

Queen nearly countered, as Jose Alvarado found the rookie alone on a 3-pointer at the top of the key. But Queen’s would-be game-winner ricocheted off the front of the rim with 3.1 seconds left, forcing the rookie to foul De’Aaron Fox, who extended the lead with two free throws.

Queen fueled a torrid third quarter for New Orleans by putting up 21 points with five assists, becoming just the fourth player in the play-by-play era to finish a quarter with at least 20 points and five assists without a turnover, according to ESPN Research, joining the company of LeBron James, Brandon Ingram and Tyus Jones. The Pelicans rookie shot 6 of 6 from the field in the third, draining all nine of his free throws in the quarter, and shot 73.3% for the game. New Orleans outscored San Antonio 45-23 in the quarter.

“I’m pretty disappointed with the way we came out in the second half,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. “Give them credit. JB made them play hard. They didn’t give up. They made some shots and turned the game around, and then you’re in a dogfight.”

Queen’s final two free throws to close the third quarter gave New Orleans a 102-100 advantage heading into the final quarter erasing a 25-point deficit. Queen now ranks as the third rookie in New Orleans franchise history to record a triple-double along with Chris Paul and Darren Collison.

Harper scored nine points in the final quarter on 4 of 7 shooting with three assists.

“I think we all [in the 2025 draft class] played growing up,” he said. “No matter what, whether it was open gym or camp together, we wanted to compete against each other. Every All-American game was competitive. Then when the cameras aren’t on and there’s no one around, you’re playing with older guys all the time. We had NBA runs. We had college races. We love to compete.”