Deandre Jordan responds to rare playing time with a vintage performance in Pelicans win
deandre jordan grabbed 15 rebounds, blocked four shots and finished with six points to help the New Orleans Pelicans beat the Philadelphia 76ers 126-111 at Smoothie King Center on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026 — a standout night after months of limited action.
DeAndre Jordan turns back the clock at Smoothie King Center
The 37-year-old center, in his 18th NBA season, started for the Pelicans and logged nearly 32 minutes, a substantial jump from the 23 minutes he had played all season before Saturday. Jordan finished with five offensive rebounds among his 15 boards and produced a highlight alley-oop dunk off a feed from Herb Jones.
Jordan's rim protection stood out: his four blocks included a swat on Kelly Oubre Jr. 's driving floater and a leaping deflection on VJ Edgecombe's 3-point attempt. He also stepped between Derik Queen and Andre Drummond during a shoving exchange under the basket, an example of his mentorship role with the younger bigs on the roster.
Borrego's rotation shake-up after Milwaukee loss
Interim coach James Borrego said he made the change after a lopsided 139-118 loss to Milwaukee the night before. "My gut was saying to make this move, " Borrego said, and when Jordan arrived at the arena they had a quick conversation and put him into the starting lineup for his 793rd career start.
Borrego kept Jordan on the floor for nearly 32 minutes and praised his defensive impact: "To be a good defensive ball club in this league, you've got to have some type of physicality, rim protection, deterrence, a presence in the middle — and he provided that. " Jordan's performance lifted the team's rebounding and interior deterrence after the previous night's struggles.
A veteran's readiness and the rotation ripple
Jordan said he stayed ready by taking part in five-on-five scrimmages with teammates who had logged few minutes this season. He acknowledged his role as a mentor to younger centers such as Derik Queen, Yves Missi and Karlo Matkovic and said, "That's a part of the job. They’ve got bigs that are part of their future. So, coming in, I knew it was going to be: Play some nights, maybe not play some nights, be a mentor. But when my number is called, I’ve got to be ready. "
His presence in the game also affected the rotation: Kevon Looney was the only active New Orleans player who did not see the court in the 15-point win. Jordan finished the night as a +13 and said he planned to unwind with a glass of Bordeaux while icing his body after playing in an actual game for the first time in almost four months.
Jordan and Borrego both emphasized the team focus. "It’s not about me or one guy, " Jordan said, while Borrego called Jordan's defensive night "massive. " The Pelicans closed the game with 16 wins on the season and now face the stretch run with 24 remaining regular-season games on the schedule.
