NEW ORLEANS -- The San Antonio Spurs were down five quick points in overtime Friday night, but they had the New Orleans Pelicans right where they wanted them.

In the next 58 seconds, center Pau Gasol hit an open 3-pointer in the left corner, LaMarcus Aldridge slammed home a dunk after the Spurs kept a possession alive with two offensive rebounds and Patty Mills nailed another open 3-pointer from the right wing.

For San Antonio's band of cold-blooded assassins, it was yet another cold as ice win: Spurs 101, Pelicans 98.

"All these guys are pros," said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, who has seen this before. "Nobody's going to panic. I thought Pau's 3 was huge. We went down five and he hit that 3 in the corner. Patty hit a 3. We shot horribly tonight (40 of 95) but made two when it counted in overtime, fortunately. The defense kept us in the game."

Kawhi Leonard scored a game-high 31 points and had three steals, two in the closing minutes that showed why he should be in the MVP discussion and is such a defensive force.

At the end of regulation, Leonard stole the ball from Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday above the top of the key and dribbled the length of the court for a resounding dunk, drawing the Spurs within one point.

"I was just trying to play the best defense I could," Leonard said. "We needed a stop and the ball ended up falling in my hands."

Then, in overtime, with the score tied at 94, Leonard stepped in front of an ill-advised bounce pass by DeMarcus Cousins for a steal, and he fed Mills for the wide-open 3-pointer that put the Spurs up 97-94.

"If my hand hits the ball, you don't have to guess where it's going to go," Leonard said.

New Orleans coach Alvin Gentry was doing all he could to keep his anger under control over the Pelicans' 14 turnovers, three of which came in the five-minute overtime. Although Holiday finished with 26 points and five assists, he had four turnovers, most of them unforced.

The Pelicans (24-38) got 29 points from Anthony Davis and 19 points and 23 rebounds from Cousins, but it still wasn't enough. The Twin Towers have now played together four games and the Pelicans are 0-4, mostly because they have not protected the ball.

"Against a team of that quality, you've got to be very precise in what you're doing," Gentry said. "I think we've got to utilize our big guys. We're talented enough that we can play inside-out. You start inside, create double teams, that opens up free shots on the perimeter."

The Spurs (47-13) led 101-98 with 8.9 seconds left and Aldridge had a chance to ice the game, but he missed two free throws.

The Pelicans had one last chance, but Cousins missed a 3-pointer from the top of the key.

Aldridge had 21 points for the Spurs, who won their sixth straight and improved their sterling road record to 27-7.

"We had some costly turnovers," Cousins said. "I know I threw one. It's unfortunate. It was just bad execution down the stretch. They were the better team down the stretch."

On the final play of the first quarter, Davis went to the glass in an attempt to tip in a missed jumper by guard E'Twaun Moore and banged his left index finger against the backboard. Davis went to the locker room and came back with 5:30 left in the second quarter with his index and middle fingers taped together.

Gasol said the two-way level of Leonard's game constantly amazes him.

"It defines him as a very special player," Gasol said. "This year, his scoring has picked up from previous seasons, but he still makes big-time plays, winning plays on the defensive end, and that's what defines the best player on the floor. Making plays like this -- these are game-winning plays, championship-caliber plays."

NOTES: The Pelicans continued their run of bad injury news. Veteran PG Jarrett Jack, signed to a 10-day contract, played in just two games before tearing meniscus in his right knee. He will miss 4-6 weeks. ... Spurs PG Tony Parker, who missed Wednesday night's victory over the Pacers, returned from a bruised quad. ... Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has fond memories of Pelicans C DeMarcus Cousins from the 2016 All-Star Game. During a timeout, Cousins drew up a play that would free him up for a 3-point shot. "I enjoyed him," Popovich said. "He's a fun-loving guy, he's got a great sense of humor. He can be serious when he needs to be. I just enjoyed his presence and bantering back and forth with him. He's clever and he's got a great sense of humor." ... Pelicans G Jrue Holiday donated $1,000 for every point (26) and assist (5) to victims of the recent New Orleans East tornados, totaling $31,000.