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Pelicans-Spurs Preview

Feb 2, 2016 - 5:12 PM The San Antonio Spurs have been so good at home that New Orleans Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry chose to provide them with some material for the "bulletin board."

Gentry's team has enjoyed some recent success against the Spurs and may not have to face Tim Duncan as it seeks to ruin San Antonio's perfect record at home Wednesday night.

San Antonio (40-8) has won 35 straight regular-season home games for the sixth-longest streak in league history. The Spurs can improve to 27-0 at home to match the 1947-48 Washington Capitols for the NBA's third-best start.

That kind of dominance caused Gentry to joke about the daunting task ahead for his last-place club against Gregg Popovich's team.

"They've won every game at home, they're due to lose one," said Gentry, a former Popovich assistant. "Play that for Pop, have Pop put that on the bulletin board, OK?"

The Spurs have gone 2-2 in a four-game stretch without Duncan, who is out with a sore right knee with no indication when he will return.

Popovich has said that Duncan is the key to the Spurs' defense. The coach has used three different lineups in Duncan's absence, and forward LaMarcus Aldridge says it has changed his role.

"With him out right now, I'm guarding more 5s, more guys down low so I'm fine with that," Aldridge said.

Aldridge and the Spurs face a major challenge against Anthony Davis and the Pelicans, who completed a 5-2 homestand with Monday's 110-95 defeat to Memphis. Davis had 23 points and Norris Cole matched a career high with 23.

"We came in and took care of our home floor, walked away with a winning record but we've got to do the same thing on the road, a big road game in a hostile environment," Davis said. "So we've got to go into San Antonio and kind of get back on our winning ways."

The Pelicans (18-29) are 4-1 against the Spurs since the start of last season with the lone defeat in overtime. New Orleans is one of only four teams to win at San Antonio in regulation during that span. Ryan Anderson scored 30 and Davis had 20 points and 18 rebounds in a 104-90 home victory Nov. 20 in the only meeting this season.

San Antonio played without Manu Ginobili that night while New Orleans was without two injured perimeter players in Cole and Tyreke Evans.

Evans, the club's third-leading scorer at 15.2 points per game, is questionable after missing three games with right knee tendinitis.

Davis is averaging 22.9 points, 13.3 rebounds and 3.3 blocks while posting seven straight double-doubles against the Spurs.

"He's talented, can shoot 3s now or is shooting more 3s now, very versatile on the block, very athletic getting to the rim, (his) mid-range has gotten a whole lot better so he's going to be tough," Aldridge said.

Aldridge is averaging 22.7 points on 67.6 percent shooting in his last three games. He scored a season-high 28 and had five blocks in Monday's 107-92 home win over Orlando.

Patty Mills matched his season best with 22 points and Ginobili added 13 as the Spurs got 56 points from their bench. Their reserves average 42.2 points, with the Pelicans at 42.5 for two of the NBA's best marks.

Anderson is the league's top scoring reserve with 17.0 points per game. He scored at least 22 in four straight before being held to nine points Monday.