Game Preview: San Antonio Spurs vs. New Orleans Pelicans

*

San Antonio Spurs vs. New Orleans Pelicans

AT&T Center, San Antonio, TX

February 3, 2016, 7:30 p.m. Spurs Time

TV: FSSW Radio: WOAI 1200AM

These Pelicans. Every time they swoop into town, with their big, goofy mouths and their garish makeup, they always seem to find a way to keep things interesting... if not break our hearts outright. If last year's final regular season game didn't do enough for you, it wasn't but 10 weeks ago that the Spurs visited the Smoothie King Center for a Friday night game on ESPN. The Pelicans were severely banged up and teetering on the brink of a lost season, and we as fans were revved up to watch what would clearly turn into a revenge drubbing. Right?

RIGHT?!?!

In one of the more irritating games of the season to this point (and I'm not forgetting that we just played two such games against Cleveland and Golden State - I'm just choosing to repress), the 1-11 New Orleans Pelicans out-everything-ed the 9-2 Spurs for a 104-90 victory, as Ryan Anderson went for 30 points on 6-11 from three and Ish Smith laid waste to Patty Mills on his way to 17 points and 13 assists. Oh, and Anthony Davis went for 20 points and 18 rebounds - no big deal.

All of the injuries that waylaid the first couple months of the season for the Pelicans are beginning to heal up, and they have won seven of their last ten games to go from only two games up on the bottom-dwelling Lakers in the standings to currently just four games behind the Portland Trailblazers and Utah Jazz for the 8th seed in the Western Conference. Although Tyreke Evans has missed the last three games (and is questionable for this one) and the oft-injured Eric Gordon is... well... injured, the starters-turned-bench-stars tandem of Ryan Anderson and Jrue Holiday have been terrific in this 7-3 stretch. During this 10-game run, Anderson is averaging nearly 20 points per game on 50.8% shooting from three, while Holiday is averaging 16.7 points, 7.9 assists, and 3.1 rebounds (a 1-14 performance in Monday's loss to the Grizzlies notwithstanding).

Matchup(s) to Watch: The Spurs will need a duplicate performance on the offensive end from LaMarcus Aldridge, who had 20 point and 11 rebounds in these teams' first meeting, and the Spurs bigs will have their hands full on defense when The Brow and Anderson share the floor together. Either Tony Parker or Patty Mills must corral the hard-charging Holiday, because if he's allowed access to the paint on a consistent basis, that will not bode well. Between you and me, speaking as friends, I would not be opposed to a good ol' fashioned "enforcement elbow" from one of our bigs if Holiday makes a few early forays into the paint (I'm looking at you, David West). We can call it the "Jrue Rules."

And with the news that Tim Duncan will indeed sit this game out, it goes without saying that the Spurs will not underestimate these pesky Pelicans again. Right?

RIGHT?!?!

Game prediction: Spurs by 6 - because these Pelicans just tend to hang around long enough to annoy.

For the New Orleans perspective, visit The Bird Writes.

As always Tony must dominate Fisher.