The San Antonio takes on New Orleans abnd will both be gunning for a victory on 12/27/2020 at 7:00 PM when they meet in a game matchup.
SAN ANTONIO vs NEW ORLEANS
When: 12/27/2020 7:00 PM
Where:
| ROT | TEAM | PS | OU | ML |
| 524 | SAN ANTONIO | -5.5 (-110) | 228 (-110) | 180 -220 |
| 524 | NEW ORLEANS |
TV: 7:00 PM
LINE: -5.5
PREDICTION: NEW ORLEANS , SAN ANTONIO
Oddsmakers currently have the NEW ORLEANS listed as -5.5 point favorites versus the SAN ANTONIO, while the game’s total is sitting at 228.
| Tony’s Pick | TEAM |
| SAN ANTONIO | 180 |
Gregg Popovich has been coaching the San Antonio Spurs for 24 years.
Stan Van Gundy has been coaching the New Orleans Pelicans for two games.
While Popovich has an edge in familiarity as the Spurs visit the Pelicans on Sunday night, he is still adapting. Popovich has changed San Antonio’s style, adopting a faster tempo to take advantage of the young, athletic players surrounding veterans such as DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge.
The Spurs experimented with a faster tempo in the NBA bubble during the summer, and even though it didn’t prevent them from missing the playoffs for the first time in 23 seasons, it worked well enough to convince the coach to keep the approach.
It’s working well so far.
DeRozan scored 27 and Patty Mills added 21 to lead six Spurs in double figures as they defeated visiting Toronto 119-114 on Saturday night.
DeRozan triggered a late comeback as his 3-pointer got the Spurs within 114-113 with about a minute left. He made 3 of 4 from beyond the arc.
“That’s part of his game this season, to shoot more 3s,” Popovich said. “He’s more confident with it, and it shows.”
Aldridge’s putback gave the Spurs a 115-114 lead with 29.9 seconds remaining, and the Spurs finished with 36 assists on 47 baskets.
“It was all over the place,” DeRozan said of the team’s pace. “That’s how we need to play. When we move the ball the way we did tonight, you’re going to have more outcomes like tonight.”
Dejounte Murray had a triple-double with 11 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.
“I feel I can play like that every night,” Murray said.
The Spurs won their season opener at Memphis 131-119 as DeRozan scored 28 points, Murray added 21 and five other teammates scored in double figures.
New Orleans is off to a solid start, splitting a two-game road trip by beating Toronto 113-99 on Wednesday before losing to reigning Eastern Conference champion Miami 111-98 on Friday.
Turnovers were a problem in both games. The Pelicans had 24 turnovers that led to 25 Raptors points, and they had 19 turnovers against the Heat, who outscored them 19-6 on fast breakpoints.
“We have to start taking care of the ball, and we have to start running back on defense consistently,” Van Gundy said. “Those are things that we should be able to take care of, and I have to do a better job with our rotation and our offense.”
Star forwards Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram combined to score 60 of New Orleans’ 98 points against Miami. Van Gundy is looking for more consistency from the offense as a whole.
“I probably didn’t use my bench enough,” said Van Gundy, whose reserves were outscored by their Heat counterparts, 47-21.
The Pelicans not only have a new system, but they also have two new starters this season in guard Eric Bledsoe and center Steven Adams. Williamson, a 20-year-old second-year player, is the longest-tenured Pelican.
“We’ve only been together a certain amount of time,” Williamson said. “We’re going to have trials and error. It’s just a part of the game. If we don’t improve, then something’s wrong. We’ve got to learn and keep pushing.”
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