This is San Antonio’s new reality. Its 7-foot-3 unicorn’s absence has created rebounding opportunities for others.

Luckily for the Spurs, the Pelicans are dreadful. They are 14 th in the Western Conference and have gone 2-8 in their last 10 games. The Spurs are currently 9-17 on the road with a point differential of -2, while the Pelicans have a 5-5 record in their last ten games at home.

The Spurs did get the better of the Pelicans for most of Sunday’s clash, but they shot the ball poorly from everywhere and failed to clean either end of the glass against an inconsistent New Orleans rebounding side. San Antonio will shoot better than the 33% from the field and 29% from downtown and won't be outrebounded by 23 as it was on Sunday.