New Orleans Pelicans vs San Antonio Spurs: Wednesday Night Predictions

• The Spurs are back in the playoffs. Will Wednesday be a rest night?
• Anthony Davis’ MVP-caliber campaign carries New Orleans to the postseason
• It’s the final night of the NBA regular season. We’ve got all your SU picks for the dozen games on tap

There’s much left to be decided on the final night of the NBA season, and one part of that puzzle will come together in New Orleans, where the Pelicans (47-34, 23-17 home) host the San Antonio Spurs (47-34, 14-26 away).

Both teams finally clinched their playoff spot in the uber-competitive Western Conference with a game to go in their regular season. For the Spurs, it’s NBA playoff blackjack – they’re in for the 21st straight time, the longest active tenure in professional sports.

It was a journey to get here, which included a vintage throwback by 40-year-old Manu Ginobili on the weekend, tying some guy named Michael Jordan for most double digit scoring games at the age of 40 with his 29th such performance.

For the Pelicans? It’s just the second time in Anthony Davis’ six-year tenure he’s made his way to the postseason, the first since 2015, when he was just 21. Boy, did he ever earn it.

Since the team lost All-Star DeMarcus Cousins to an Achilles tear, Davis has been a human wrecking ball, leaving carnage in his wake. New Orleans’ path to the playoffs included going into Oracle over the weekend and staring down the Warriors.

The winner of this one will still be alive for the four seed in the West and a chance for home court advantage in the first round.

San Antonio Spurs vs New Orleans Pelicans Team Stats

OFFENSE

DEFENSE

Head-to-Head Results

Throw out the first matchup, since Boogie was still around, and the two teams split their other two games. The difference came down to the All-Star big men on both teams.

When LaMarcus Aldridge got hurt in the second game, the Pelicans were able to move the game into their tempo (a big factor we’ll get to shortly), and Davis poured in 26 points and 15 rebounds en route to victory.

When healthy, Aldridge out-duelled Davis, outscoring him 25-21 and San Antonio kept the game out of triple digits. It’s in that range that the Spurs can compete with anyone.

 Notable Injuries and Absences

Straight Up Advice: Pelicans (116-105)

If there ever was a tortoise vs hare matchup in the NBA, this would be it. The Pelicans play at an absurd pace, one of only two teams to average over 102 possessions per game. They like to get up and down the court, and few teams succeed when getting into a track meet with them. That pushes them to a 111 point per game average, while also allowing 110 a contest.

Plodding along in that category are the Spurs, who sit dead last in pace at 97 possessions a game. As their previous match-ups show, tempo will dictate the winner here.

There’s also an ugly stat staring down the Spurs in this one: an un-Spursian like 14-26 road record. You also have to key in the fact that San Antonio is pleased to just be in the playoffs, and head coach Gregg Popovich could lean towards rest and recovery over chasing a four seed.

No matter which lineup he goes with, the constant will be – and has been all year – the stingiest defense in the Association. San Antonio was the only team in the NBA to hold their opponents to under 100 points a game in scoring all year.

And that will be an intriguing final test for Davis, who will surely be looking to put the finishing touches on his MVP case. As if 28 points, 11 boards and 2.5 blocks a game all year weren’t already enough.

If he can establish an inside presence, the Pelicans should punish San Antonio in the paint, where they bludgeon teams for 52 points a game, while shooting 48.5-percent from the field overall.

Pelicans play their game in this one, and roll to a W.

 Team Trends

Additional SU Picks (April 11th)

Let’s wrap up the NBA season in style, with SU picks for the other 11 games on tap, including a head-to-head for the final playoff spot up for grabs between the Nuggets and Timberwolves.