Dec 8, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans center Derik Queen (22) dribbles against San Antonio Spurs center/forward Luke Kornet (7) during the second half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Derik Queen registered a triple-double on Monday and joined some rare company in the history books, leading the New Orleans Pelicans in a narrow loss to the San Antonio Spurs.

Queen produced 33 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists and four blocked shots in the 135-132 loss at the Smoothie King Center. He finished by shooting 11-of-15 from the field and 11-of-13 from the free-throw line, and was a plus-14 in 33 minutes of work.

The 13th pick became the fifth player to record a 30-point triple-double before turning 21, joining Luka Dončić, De'Aaron Fox, LeBron James and Victor Wembanyama. He is the first rookie to do so while adding four blocks since they first began being tracked in 1973-74.

"It means a lot," Queen said of joining that group of players in history. "It is pretty good for a person who didn't have a preseason that was hurt. A lot of people doubted. I even had a little doubt in myself, my first time being injured. I think how things have been going this season, it is pretty good."

Queen tallied 21 points in the third quarter alone, helping the Pelicans outscore the Spurs 45-23 to overcome a 25-point deficit and take a 102-100 lead into the final frame. They traded the lead seven times, as Dylan Harper hit the go-ahead layup with 9.1 seconds left.

Trey Murphy III scored 32 points, while Saddiq Bey and Herb Jones added 16 points apiece to lead the Pelicans, who lost their seventh straight game. Queen and Murphy are the first pair of Pelicans teammates with at least 30 points in the same game since Feb. 8.

"Any rookie that takes over like that is really special," interim coach James Borrego said. "To have a hub like that at your 5-spot that can playmake, score and make plays is really special. You don't see that too often in this league. That was impressive. I don't know how to say it other than that. It was a special performance on his part."

Queen is averaging 12.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.9 assists and one steal on 49.6% shooting from the field in 25 appearances with the Pelicans. He is seventh in rookie scoring and one of two first-year players with multiple 30-point games.

The 20-year-old became a full-time starter on Nov. 16 and has delivered several notable performances since then. The season hasn't panned out quite the way the team wanted, but Queen wants to continue performing at a high level and help lead on both ends of the court.

"I just got to keep being physical and keep going to the rim and keep being smart," Queen said. "Just keep on getting better. (I) can't be satisfied with tonight, just consistency."

This article originally appeared on Rookie Wire: Pelicans' Derik Queen joins LeBron, others with 30-point triple-double

Reporting by Cody Taylor, Rookie Wire / Rookie Wire

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