Hornets at Spurs
The New Orleans Hornets have faced the San Antonio Spurs plenty this season - and remain one of the few teams to have given the Southwest Division leaders trouble. The Hornets look to even the series at two wins apiece when the teams do battle Wednesday in San Antonio. It has been a difficult season for the Hornets, but they've held their own against the powerhouse Spurs, losing a pair of close games before pulling out a 95-88 win in their last encounter Jan. 7.
The Hornets have been one of the hottest teams in the league of late, winning seven of their last nine games to climb past the Phoenix Suns and out of the Western Conference basement. They're coming off a 114-105 victory over the Sacramento Kings to earn a split of their two-game mini-homestand. Wednesday kicks off a stretch that will see the Hornets play nine of their next 11 games on the road. The Spurs come in having won five straight and return home after registering narrow victories in Atlanta and Philadelphia.
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, Fox Sports New Orleans, KENS (San Antonio)
ABOUT THE HORNETS (14-27): New Orleans' resurgence has been buoyed by the return to form of guard Eric Gordon. A right knee injury kept him out for the first 29 games, and he struggled with his shot as a reserve early in his comeback. But the 24-year-old has been much better of late, averaging 19.2 points over his last five games. "I’m starting to hit jump shots more," Gordon told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "I just need to get it all flowing together. There are points in the game when I do and some that I don’t. It’s going to come together." Monday's triumph marked the first time this season the Hornets have allowed more than 100 points and won.
ABOUT THE SPURS (33-11): When San Antonio head coach Gregg Popovich opted to send stars Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker home rather than have them play in a nationally televised game earlier in the season, he likely had this stretch of the schedule in mind. San Antonio will have played more games than any team in the league by the end of the week. "It’s been a tough beginning, travel-wise," Popovich told the San Antonio Express-News. "We’re getting to be a pretty tired team. It’s been a lot of games quickly. We’ve never had this many games in this period of time before." San Antonio will enjoy three days off following Saturday's game against Phoenix.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. San Antonio had won the six previous meetings between the teams prior to New Orleans' Jan. 7 triumph.
2. Hornets PF Anthony Davis, the first overall pick in 2012, ranks fourth among rookies in points per game (13.1) and first in rebounds (7.9) and blocks (1.9).
3. Spurs F/C Tim Duncan has 20 double-doubles after recording just 22 a season ago.
PREDICTION: Spurs 101, Hornets 91.