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San Antonio Spurs vs New Orleans Pelicans Game Preview
By Jay Desai
The San Antonio Spurs will have their hands full in their fifth game of the season as Anthony Davis and the New Orleans Pelicans come into the AT&T Center.
The game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. and will be televised on NBA TV and FoxSportsSouthwest. The game can also be heard on the radio on WOAI 1200 AM.
How will San Antonio fare against New Orleans? We take a look at recent history, injuries, and key matchups to predict the outcome of the game!
Recent Games
San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs head into this game with a 2-2 record. Their most recent game was an 98-81 loss to the Houston Rockets. The Spurs were absolutely dominated in a that game which seemed like a dunk contest for Dwight Howard and the Rockets.
San Antonio is not too concerned following the loss though. The team was without five players, including Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili, for the game in Houston. Those two future Hall-of-Famers will return to the court tonight after resting the previous game due to the fact it was the second night of a back-to-back.
New Orleans Pelicans
The New Orleans Pelicans come into this game well rested following a three day period of no games. The Pelicans most recent match was a 100-91 victory against the Charlotte Hornets in New Orleans.
New Orleans will be looking for its third victory tonight, also coming into the game with a 2-2 record. Their chances seem pretty good too considering Anthony Davis’ hot start. The Pelicans star is averaging 23.8 points and 13.3 rebounds through New Orleans’ first four games.
Injuries
San Antonio Spurs
Marco Belinelli, Shooting Guard – Belinelli suffered a groin injury towards the end of the first quarter in Thursday’s win over the Atlanta Hawks. San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich put the shooting guard’s timetable around 7-to-10 days a couple of days ago. Expect his minutes to go to Austin Daye.
Patty Mills, Point Guard – Mills is still healing from surgery on his torn rotator cuff. Expect his minutes to go to Cory Joseph.
Tiago Splitter, Center – Splitter re-aggravated his right calf injury in the game against the Hawks and is expected to miss tonight’s game. He is expected to visit a specialist and remains uncertain for future games. Look for Boris Diaw and Matt Bonner to pick up his minutes.
New Orleans Pelicans
Luke Babbitt, Small Forward – Babbitt is expected to miss the game with a finger injury he has re-aggravted according to Pelicans head coach Monty Williams. He is low on New Orleans’ depth chart so it will not affect the team’s game plan too much.
Darius Miller, Small Forward – Miller continues to be absent due to personal issues and is expected to miss tonight’s game. Like Babbitt, Miller is low on the depth chart which means his absence won’t affect the Pelicans very much.
Key Matchups
Tonight’s key matchup is something many NBA fans have been waiting to see this season, a match up of old versus young, fundamentals versus athleticism. That is exactly what NBA fans will be in store for when they see the matchup between the San Antonio Spurs’ Tim Duncan and the New Orleans Pelicans’ Anthony Davis. The Pelicans star, Davis, has been on fire to start the season and the Spurs result will depend on their ability to contain the young superstar.
PF. Tim Duncan will hopefully be refreshed and ready to go tonight against the Pelicans. Duncan sat out the San Antonio Spurs loss to the Rockets in Houston in order to be rested for the team’s following games and eventually the playoffs. In his 18th season, Duncan continues to be effective for the Spurs, averaging 15.7 points and 11.7 rebounds through San Antonio’s first four games. The hope for Spurs fans is that Duncan can teach Davis a lesson or two tonight that experience still rules.. PF. San Antonio Spurs. TIM DUNCAN
PF. Anthony Davis has been on an absolute tear to start this season as he tries to help the New Orleans Pelicans potentially secure a playoff berth for the first time since 2011. Davis would be and could be in the MVP discussion if his team is able to secure a top record. The former University of Kentucky forward is averaging 23.8 points and 13.3 rebounds to start the season. He’s also posting an insane 34.29 player efficiency rating. Although he is matched-up against one of the greatest power-forwards of all-time, don’t expect him to slow down. Davis has already dominated the frontcourts of Dallas (Nowitzki and Chandler) and Charlotte (Big Al) to begin this year.. PF. New Orleans Pelicans. ANTHONY DAVIS
Prediction
The New Orleans Pelicans’ time is coming to be a powerhouse in the Western Conference but that day is not today. The San Antonio Spurs show that young guns that there is still some learning to do and take the win in the process.
A close game will be expected though. The San Antonio Spurs are clearly not in mid-season form yet and that will allow the Pelicans to keep this one close. Look for a nice defensive battle keeping the score low with San Antonio barely edging out New Orleans, probably by widening the gap in the final minutes.
Check out the score prediction below!
69. . 89. 29. 84
Next: Austin Spurs: Three Former Spurs on Training Camp Roster