Spurs vs. Pelicans Preview & Prediction

The New Orleans Pelicans need a win or an Oklahoma City loss to claim the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The San Antonio Spurs could grab the No. 2 seed in the West with a win, but they could also slip to the No. 6 seed with a loss, making this game extremely important for both teams.

Projected Starting Lineups

San Antonio Spurs (55-26)

G Tony Parker - 14.2 ppg, 4.9 apg

G Danny Green – 11.8 ppg, 4.3 rpg

F Kawhi Leonard - 16.6 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 2.4 spg

F Tim Duncan - 13.9 ppg, 9.1 rpg

C Tiago Splitter – 8.2 ppg, 4.8 rpg

New Orleans Pelicans (44-37)

G Jrue Holiday – 14.9 ppg, 6.9 apg

G Tyreke Evans –16.6 ppg, 6.5 apg, 5.3 rpg

G Eric Gordon – 13.4 ppg, 3.8 apg

F Anthony Davis – 24.3 ppg, 10.2 rpg, 3.0 bpg

C Omer Asik – 7.3 ppg, 9.9 rpg

What to watch for:

Who will help Anthony Davis?

New Orleans goes into this game as heavy underdogs, but they know they can count on Anthony Davis to have a big game. However, if they're going to beat a team as talented and balanced as the Spurs, someone else is going to have to have a big game as well. Look for the Pelicans to try and get Tyreke Evans or Eric Gordon going early to give them that extra boost.

Prediction: Spurs win 104-102

New Orleans will be playing in desperation mode with their season on line, which would've been enough for them to pull the upset if the Spurs didn't have anything to play for. However, San Antonio needs a win to secure home court in the first round, so they'll do what they need to do to win.

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