The Spurs will be facing the Pelicans on Sunday in the NBA bubble. These are two Western Conference teams on the outside looking in regarding the playoffs.
This game will be at 3:00 PM on ABC.
The Spurs
The Spurs sit in 10th place in the West with a 30-38 record. In the bubble, they are 3-2.
Their last matchup was an easy one as the Utah Jazz rested most of their star players. It allowed the Spurs to go up against a team without their scoring threats on the floor. They only won by eight, but it should have been much more.
Derrick White was the one who shined for the Spurs. He dropped 24 points on eight of 18 shooting.
They lean heavily on DeMar DeRozan to create offense. He has averaged 22 points per game this season.
This team is without their big man, LaMarcus Aldridge, as he suffered a shoulder injury. He was their leading rebounder.
This team still has the legendary coach Gregg Popovich on their side, but they have lost their winning ways. The Spurs don’t have the talent that they once had. The organization will need to make some moves and put more pieces around DeRozan if they want to succeed in the West.
The Pelicans
New Orleans has been a team that everyone wants to watch solely because of their young star Zion Williamson. He is still listed as day-to-day.
The Pelicans have lost games down the stretch in the bubble because of Williamson’s limited minutes. The team has restricted the rookie’s usage as he recovers from injury.
However, New Orleans has been leaning on another Duke star to become a more significant part of the offense. Brandon Ingram has been their leading scorer this year, averaging 23.9 points per game.
They have a great group of young players, including Lonzo Ball. He does a lot of the ball-handling, averaging seven assists per game.
This team entered somewhat of a rebuild after losing Anthony Davis and drafting Williamson. Unfortunately, Williamson’s rookie year has been injury-filled.
The Pelicans will need to keep and develop the guys they have to succeed in the future. They have a young core that could do well as soon as 2020/21.
The Pelicans are 2-3 so far in the bubble. There has been a lot of up and downs in Orlando.
Their last game was an impressive win over the Washington Wizards. Jrue Holiday scored 28 points in the victory.
Alvin Gentry’s team will need more of the same if they want to win this game against the Spurs.
Prediction
These two teams are very similar in talent, and the line will be very close. But the Pelicans are building something in New Orleans with their young stars.
Neither team has much of a chance to make any noise in Orlando, but are looking to finish strong. My bet is on the Pelicans to come out and play well on Sunday.
Take the Pelicans.