New Orleans @ San Antonio preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 28, 2018 ) New Orleans 121, San Antonio 116

The San Antonio Spurs are in a very different position than usual right now, staring up at eight teams above them in the race for a playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Spurs will get a chance to gain back a game at the expense of one of the teams they're chasing when they host the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday.

San Antonio bashed the Orlando Magic 108-72 on Tuesday to earn just its third win in 12 games and is in a virtual three-way tie for the No. 7 spot in the West but sits percentage points below the Los Angeles Clippers and would lose a tiebreaker to the No. 8 Utah Jazz if the season ended before play on Wednesday. The Spurs will play each of their next 10 games and 12 of the final 14 against teams fighting for playoff spots in their respective conferences. The Pelicans are only 1 1/2 games ahead of San Antonio but sit tied for the No. 5 spot, a half-game behind the fourth-place Oklahoma City Thunder, after another stellar performance from Anthony Davis led them to a 119-115 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday. "We've been dropping in pace and haven't been scoring in the 100s like we're used to do," Davis told reporters after the win. "Tonight, we got back to it -- running and pushing the pace. It was good to get back to that tonight. Also, defend a little bit -- that's the key. But even when we don't get stops, we're able to get the ball down and run it back down a team's throat -- putting them on their heels, maybe get a good look."

TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, FS New Orleans, FS Southwest (San Antonio)

ABOUT THE PELICANS (39-28): Jrue Holiday scored 10 of his 25 points in the final three minutes on Tuesday and added nine assists and six rebounds. "We've got a lot of different weapons," Holiday told reporters "We can make plays down the stretch. We've got a tough road ahead of us, but we have to take it one game at a time. A lot of weight on Anthony's (Davis) shoulders, so I think we're all trying to help lift that." Holiday scored 20 or more points in 10 of the last 13 games and is 12-of-24 from 3-point range in six games this month.

ABOUT THE SPURS (38-30): San Antonio is waiting for star forward Kawhi Leonard (quad tendinopathy) to make his way back and he is reportedly close to returning. "Like anybody else, he's frustrated," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich told reporters. "He wants to be playing. He's competitive. It's been a tough year for him in that regard. But the first step is he's got to be cleared by his medical staff that he's seeing. And until he gets cleared, we can't make a decision on when he's coming back. So, once he gets cleared, then he and I can sit down and talk, and see what we think about an appropriate time to come back. But that clearance has to be obtained first." Power forward LaMarcus Aldridge is carrying the team in Leonard's absence and scored 24 points on 11-of-17 shooting in 26 minutes on Tuesday.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Pelicans PG Rajon Rondo recorded 17 assists on Tuesday and is averaging 10.1 over the last nine games.

2. Spurs G Patty Mills snapped a string of four straight games scoring in single digits by posting 13 points on Tuesday.

3. New Orleans took each of the first two meetings this season, including a 121-116 triumph in San Antonio on Feb. 28.

PREDICTION: Spurs 106, Pelicans 104