The San Antonio Spurs play host to the New Orleans Pelicans at AT&T Center on Sunday.

The Pelicans (8-20) got more rough news on Saturday, losing Zion Williamson for the foreseeable future. The big man has been rehabbing from a foot issue through the first two months of the season, and it doesn't look like he'll return anytime soon after another setback. His absence has really killed this team too, owning one of the worst records in the Western Conference. They have been playing a little better recently, though, entering this matchup winning five of their last nine games and playing much more competitively over the last month. That has fans hopeful for the future, but this club won't do much until a stud like Zion returns and dominates the paint like we've become accustomed to.

The Spurs (9-16) had an ugly showing on Saturday night, getting blown out by the Denver Nuggets. The 127-112 final scoreline doesn't tell the whole story, though, with San Antonio trailing by 32 points at times in that defeat. That forced the hand of Greg Popovich, benching his starters for the majority of that second half. They actually did have five bench players reach double figures in scoring in that defeat, though, and that's a small silver lining in an otherwise ugly performance. The starters being rested probably had something to do with this being the second half of a back-to-back set, and they'll surely play better after that embarrassing loss on Saturday.

These teams played three times last season, with San Antonio winning the series, 2-1. That gives San Antonio six wins in their last seven meetings with New Orleans.