Spurs at Pelicans
The San Antonio Spurs hope to have star small forward Kawhi Leonard back on the floor when they visit the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday. Leonard missed the past two games with a left hand injury after a tremendous roll in which he scored 30 or more points in six consecutive contests.
Leonard is averaging 34.7 points during his hot streak and once again got the better of Cleveland's LeBron James with a career-best 41-point effort as the Spurs beat the Cavaliers last Saturday in the game in which he hurt his hand. Leonard was itching to play in Tuesday's 108-106 victory over the Toronto Raptors but coach Gregg Popovich nixed the notion shortly before tipoff. "We just decided it was the safe thing to do," Popovich said afterward. "I'd rather err on the side of being conservative than lose him for three weeks because he gets whacked again." New Orleans All-Star power forward Anthony Davis (thigh) departed Wednesday's 114-105 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder and is questionable to play against the Spurs.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, FSN Southwest (San Antonio), FSN New Orleans
ABOUT THE SPURS (36-9): San Antonio won its last five games despite being without center Pau Gasol (broken hand) and point guard Tony Parker (foot) for the past four contests in addition to being without Leonard for the last two. Point guard Patty Mills is making up for the loss of Parker and averaged 19 points in the past two outings while veteran David Lee has stepped up in Gasol's absence to average 12.5 points and 9.8 boards over the past four games. Swingman Kyle Anderson averaged 11 points in two starts in place of Leonard but is ready to head back to the bench -- "he does so many things for us. Of course, we miss him," Anderson said of Leonard.
ABOUT THE PELICANS (18-28): Davis sat out Monday's victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers due to the same injury and aggravated it during the loss to Thunder. Mindful that New Orleans can't slip too much further below .500, Davis wanted to push through the injury and the decision backfired. "It's tough, but I will say that he wants to be out there," Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry told reporters. "He's trying to be out there, it would be easy just to sit out, but I think he's doing everything he can to be out there. If he's hurt, he's hurt."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Spurs won two meetings with the Pelicans by an average of 16 points earlier this season and have been victorious in each of the past five matchups.
2. New Orleans backup SG Langston Galloway is 7-of-30 shooting over the past three games.
3. San Antonio SG Danny Green is 11-of-38 shooting over the last five contests.