Spurs at Pelicans
The New Orleans Pelicans can’t seem to find a win and are struggling to find enough healthy bodies to fill out the rotation. The San Antonio Spurs are winners of six straight and will try to take advantage of the shorthanded Pelicans when they host New Orleans on Friday.
The Pelicans suited up nine players on Wednesday at Oklahoma City and ended up suffering a 110-103 loss to drop to 1-11 on the season. “I felt like we got everything that we possibly could (out of the limited lineup),” New Orleans coach Alvin Gentry told reporters. “… I thought we played hard and I thought we competed like crazy.” The Spurs are punishing the rest of the league in customary fashion, spreading the points around on offense while playing solid team defense. Tony Parker took his turn leading the team offensively with a season-high 25 points and nine assists in a 109-98 win over the Denver Nuggets that closed out a 3-0 homestand on Wednesday.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, ESPN, KENS (San Antonio), FSN New Orleans
ABOUT THE SPURS (9-2): Tim Duncan no longer bears the responsibility of carrying San Antonio offensively but still finds ways to make his mark in most games. The future Hall of Famer collected 12 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and six blocks in Wednesday’s triumph and has totaled 14 blocks in the last three games. Duncan, 39, is shooting 55.2 percent from the field while averaging over 27 minutes and has yet to miss a game in his 19th season.
ABOUT THE PELICANS (1-11): The injuries began before the season with Tyreke Evans going down and Jrue Holiday limited, but the biggest problem of late is superstar forward Anthony Davis’ shoulder. Davis missed two games last week due to a hip contusion and sat out on Wednesday after playing just six minutes in Tuesday’s loss to Denver before injuring his left shoulder. Ryan Anderson scored 30 points while starting in Davis’ place on Wednesday but could not match his impact on the defensive end.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Hornets SG Eric Gordon is 4-of-22 from 3-point range over the last three games.
2. Spurs PF LaMarcus Aldridge is 11-of-35 from the field in the last three contests.
3. New Orleans took three of the four meetings last season, with San Antonio’s lone win coming at home in overtime.