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Spurs to face Warriors in playoffs after slipping to No. 7 with loss to Pelicans

New Orleans' 122-98 win extends S.A. road losing streak to eight.
Credit: (Antonio Morano bit.ly/XR79FT / Special to Kens5.com)
University of Texas alums Kevin Durant, left, and LaMarcus Aldridge will face off when the Golden State Warriors and Spurs start their first-round playoff series this weekend in Oakland, Calif.

No. 2 Golden State Warriors vs. No. 7 Spurs

NBA First-Round Playoff Series

Game 1: Saturday, 2 p.m., Oakland, Calif.

Game 2: Monday, 9:30 p.m., Oakland

Game 3: Thursday, April 19, 8:30 p.m., AT&T Center

Game 4: Sunday, April 22, 2:30 p.m., AT&T Center

*Game 5: Tuesday, April 24, Time TBD, Oakland

*Game 6: Thursday, April 26, Time TBD, AT&T Center

*Game 7: Saturday, April 28, Time TBD, Oakland

*If necessary

The regular season ended Wednesday night for the Spurs, but their losing streak on the road continued.

Guard Jrue Holiday scored a game-high 23 points and big men Anthony Davis and Nikola Mirotic each recorded a double-double, leading the New Orleans Pelicans to a 122-98 blowout that was more lopsided than the score indicates.

New Orleans point guard Rajon Rondo also had a double-double, finishing with 19 points and 14 assists.

The Silver and Black (47-35) dropped to the No. 7 seed and will play No. 2 Golden State, the defending league champion, in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs. The first two games of the best-of-seven series will be played in Oakland, Calif. Game 1 is at 2 p.m. Saturday, with Game 2 set for 9:30 p.m. Monday. The series shifts to San Antonio for Games 3 and 4.

Golden State swept the Spurs in the Western Conference finals last year, and won the 2017-18 season series 3-1. The Warriors took the first three games – 112-92 on Nov. 2 at the AT&T Center, 122-105 on Feb. 10 in Oakland, and 110-107 on March 8 in Oakland.

The Silver and Black won the last game, 89-75 on March 19 at the AT&T Center, against a Golden State that was missing All-NBA guard Stephen Curry and two other All-Stars who were sidelined with injuries, Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson.

Curry is expected to miss the entire first round of the playoffs as he continues to rehab a knee injury. He has been out since spraining the medial collateral ligament in his left knee March 23.

San Antonio (47-35) lost its eighth consecutive road game Wednesday night, and its 12th in the last 13 outings away from the AT&T Center. The Spurs finished 14-27 on the road this season, breaking a streak of 20 years in which they finished with winning road records. The streak is an NBA record.

Credit: (Antonio Morano bit.ly/XR79FT / Special to Kens5.com), KENS
Spurs guard Danny Green goes up for a dunk between Golden State center Zaza Pachulia, left, and forward Kevin Durant in the Warriors' 112-92 victory last Nov. 3 at the AT&T Center. 

Davis and Mirotic scored 22 and 21 points, respectively, and each finished with 15 rebounds for the Pelicans (48-34). Holiday got his game-high 23 points on 11-of-15 shooting, and E'Twaun Moore had 13 points.

The same problems that plagued the Spurs on the road throughout the season continued in New Orleans. Their defense was porous, they didn't shoot well and they had too many turnovers.

LaMarcus Aldridge, San Antonio's leading scorer all season, finished with only 11 points in 20 minutes. He sat for much of the first half after picking up his second foul with 2:22 left in the first quarter and did not play in the fourth period. Tony Parker and Dejounte Murray also finished with 11 points.

Kyle Anderson (10) and Bryn Forbes (10) rounded out the Silver and Black's double-figure scoring.

San Antonio, which finished with 17 turnovers, shot 40.2 percent (37/92) and was 33.3 percent (8/24) from the three-point line.

New Orleans beat the Spurs outside and inside, finishing with a whopping 78-42 edge in the paint and 32-17 in fast-break points.

The Pelicans shot a scorching 59.1 percent (52/88) and made 5 of 19 three-pointers. Holiday got his game-high 23 points on 11-of-15 shooting.

New Orleans led only 27-26 after one quarter but finished the second quarter with a 19-4 run to go up 61-43 at the break. The teams played to a 29-29 tie in the third quarter when the Pelicans led by as many as 23 points.

Ahead 90-72 going into the fourth period, New Orleans led by double digits the rest of the way.

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