Frontcourt stars collide in the Western Conference with a matchup between the New Orleans Pelicans (27-21, 7th in the West) and the San Antonio Spurs (10-38, 15th in the West). The Pelicans just won on the road in Houston 110-99, winning outright as half-point underdogs. San Antonio just dropped a home game to the Magic 108-98 as 6.5-point underdogs. This is the third of four matchups between these teams this season as The Pelicans currently have a 2-0 lead in the series. Tipoff is scheduled for 8:00 EST from the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio.
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The New Orleans Pelicans recently went through a tough patch in their schedule as they took on three of the best teams in the NBA in consecutive games. The Pelicans lost all three, going down to the Thunder, Bucks and Celtics. They were able to snap the skid by defeating Houston in their last matchup. In the Houston game, Jonas Valanciunas led the way inside with 25 points and 14 rebounds in the win.
watch ya feet ?? pic.twitter.com/6f9aOy7PYF
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) February 1, 2024
Zion Williamson sat out the last game with an injury and will be a game time decision in this one. Herb Jones and Larry Nance Jr. may also be out as well. New Orleans will have Brandon Ingram, he is averaging 21.5 PPG, 5.6 APG and 5.0 RPG this season. Ingram has scored 24 or more in his last three games, with a high of 28 coming against Boston in a loss. CJ McCollum is the top shooter on the team, he makes 3.4 three pointers per game on 43.8% shooting from deep. McCollum scores 19.1 PPG and dishes out 4.7 APG. Valanciunas has been a steady force inside all season, he has started every game and averages 14.1 PPG and 9.7 RPG on the inside.
In their last game, they started Trey Murphy III, a solid contributor who averages 13.0 PPG. The Pelicans also had to start Dyson Daniels, an athletic wing defender adding 5.5 PPG. Jordan Hawkins and Naji Marshall are scorers available off the bench. The Pelicans rank 13th in offensive efficiency and 9t h in defensive efficiency according to dunksandthrees.com. The Pelicans play at the 14th fastest pace in the NBA.