Spurs at Pelicans
The San Antonio Spurs have dropped five of eight games since reaching a season-high seven games above .500 and attempt to regain their form when they visit the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday. The Spurs dropped a 122-120 decision to the host Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday despite shooting a stellar 57.3 percent from the field.
Seven San Antonio players scored in double figures against the 76ers but the team collapsed down the stretch as Philadelphia scored 10 unanswered points in the final 2:15 to rally to the victory. "We just came after each other and down the stretch, and we made too many errors," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich told reporters afterward. "We just inflicted them upon ourselves, a couple of turnovers and that was the ball game." Star big man Anthony Davis (finger) will be out for the fourth straight game but the Pelicans put up a fight without him on Thursday before falling 122-116 to the host Oklahoma City Thunder. "I thought we competed as hard as we possibly could and played very unselfishly and put ourselves in a position to win," New Orleans coach Alvin Gentry told reporters after the loss. "We just didn't quite have enough firepower to get over the hump."
TV: 6 p.m. ET, FS Southwest, FS New Orleans
ABOUT THE SPURS (27-22): Shooting guard DeMar DeRozan broke out of a funk with 26 points on 12-of-19 shooting against the 76ers to post his first 20-point effort since Jan. 7. DeRozan was just 35-of-100 shooting while averaging 13.2 points over his previous six games and twice scored in single digits. "Would've been better to have a win, and I played bad," DeRozan told reporters afterward. "But it's all about just trying to be consistent from here on out, continuing to play well."
ABOUT THE PELICANS (22-27): Power forward Julius Randle (ankle) also missed the game against Oklahoma City and the club is hoping he will be able to return against the Spurs. Center Jahlil Okafor is taking advantage of his increased playing time and had 18 points on 9-of-12 shooting and collected eight rebounds against the Thunder and he is averaging 18.3 points and 9.3 rebounds in the three games Davis has missed. Point guard Jrue Holiday had 22 points, 13 assists while matching his season best of four steals and scored 20 or more points in six of the past seven games.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Spurs dropped their past three visits to New Orleans.
2. San Antonio reserve SG Marco Belinelli scored in double digits in each of his last seven appearances and is averaging 17.3 points during the stretch.
3. New Orleans SF Nikola Mirotic (calf) will miss his second straight game and will be sidelined at least one more week.