San Antonio is one of the best in the NBA because of its continual attention to detail but even a Spurs team laden with veterans who have seen it all will have a hard time focusing on the task at hand when they square off against the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday at the AT&T Center in San Antonio.Thats because of whats scheduled after the game.The Spurs will retire the No. 21 jersey of former power forward Tim Duncan in a lavish ceremony. Duncans 19-year career, all with San Antonio, featured five championships and a 1,072-438 regular-season record. The .710 winning percentage is the best 19-year stretch in NBA history and was the best in all of the NBA, NFL, NHL and MLB over that time.Its hard to predict how the usually stoic Duncan, a player who shunned the spotlight while becoming arguably the best power forward to ever play the game, will react when hes squarely the center of attention. But it will be memorable, especially if he gets emotional.Its going to be emotional for Tim because its emotional for everybody, Spurs guard and longtime teammate Manu Ginobili said. Its been 20 years of his life around something. He accomplished unbelievable things. Its going to be a great opportunity to close it the way he deserves.On the court, the Spurs (21-5) are again among the leagues elite teams, winning their past three games and seven of their last nine outings after a nine-game winning streak. Forward Kawhi Leonard, who leads the team with 24.5 points per game, has taken over for Duncan as the Spurs leader.Leonard has either led or shared the lead in scoring in 21 of the Spurs 26 games. Pau Gasol, San Antonios key offseason free agent acquisition and Duncans replacement at in the paint, has picked up his statistical impact in the past few games, thanks to a coaching session with Duncan during the Spurs off days earlier this week.San Antonio beats teams with execution and depth, aspects that Gasol is enjoying through the first quarter of the season.We have such a deep group; we dont play our guys a lot of minutes so were able to sustain our effort for the whole game, Gasol said Thursday after the Spurs beat Phoenix 107-92. When teams ramp it up and make their runs and even get ahead, its hard for them to sustain that. Our second halves and our fourth quarters are strong because we keep coming until we break the game open.The victory over Phoenix was the 14th in San Antonios first 15 games away from the AT&T Center, matching the best road start in NBA history by joining the 1970-71 Lakers and 2015-16 Warriors.New Orleans heads to the Alamo City after a 122-100 loss to Houston on Friday in which the Rockets poured in 24 3-point baskets in 61 attempts, setting a new league record in both categories.You have to be good in transition defense and you have to run them off the 3-point line, Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said of the Rockets. And obviously we didnt do a very good job of either one of those.Forward Anthony Davis paced the Pelicans (9-19) with 19 points despite playing just 22 minutes. Davis scored 12 of New Orleans first 21 points and departed in the third quarter with a left lower-leg contusion but he should be available for Sundays contest.Davis just got kicked, and the game wasnt in a position where I thought that it was worth the risk to put him back out there -- and we just werent going to do it, Gentry said.In the first meeting between the two teams this season, San Antonio beat the Pelicans 98-79 in its home opener on Oct. 29. The Spurs currently own a four-game winning streak against New Orleans dating to a 104-90 loss to the Pelicans on Nov. 20, 2015. Oakland Athletics Gear . PETERSBURG, Fla. Stitched Athletics Jerseys . The lawyers filed a 33-page amended complaint Tuesday in federal court in Manhattan, expanding on the suit originally filed Oct. 3 in New York Supreme Court. Arbitrator Fredric Horowitz last week refused to compel Selig to testify in the grievance, and Rodriguez then walked out of the hearing without testifying. https://www.cheapathleticsonline.com/ . The team says the Spain international has a muscle pull in his right leg. Barcelona hosts third-division side Cartagena in the return leg of their round-of-32 tie after winning their first meeting 4-1. Oakland Athletics Store . Soukalova missed only one target and completed the 15-kilometre course in 40 minutes, 32.6 seconds for both victories in this seasons individual discipline. Darya Domracheva of Belarus was second, 34. Chris Bassitt Athletics Jersey . -- Matt Kuchar and Harris English ran away with the Franklin Templeton Shootout, shooting a 14-under 58 on Sunday in the final-round scramble to break the tournament course record. NEW ORLEANS (4-5) at CAROLINA (3-6)Thursday, 8:25 p.m. ET, NFL NetworkOPENING LINE -- Panthers by 4 1/2RECORD VS. SPREAD -- Saints 6-3, Panthers 3-6SERIES RECORD -Panthers lead 23-20LAST MEETING -Saints beat Panthers 41-38 on Oct. 16LAST WEEK -- Saints lost to Broncos 25-23; Panthers lost to Chiefs 20-17AP PRO32 RANKING -- Saints No. 21 (tie), Panthers No. 25SAINTS OFFENSE -- OVERALL (1), RUSH (21), PASS (1).SAINTS DEFENSE -- OVERALL (29), RUSH (19), PASS (32).PANTHERS OFFENSE -- OVERALL (12), RUSH (11), PASS (15).PANTHERS DEFENSE -- OVERALL (15), RUSH (2), PASS (24).STREAKS, STATS AND NOTES -- Saints QB Drew Brees threw for 465 yards and four TDs vs. Carolina on Oct. 16. ... Brees ranks second in NFL with 2,992 yards passing and is tied for league lead in TD passes (24). Brees has 14 TD passes in last five games. ... RB Mark Ingram has four TDs (2 rushing, 2 receiving) in past three away games. ... WR Willie Snead had two TD catches vs. Denver. ... WR Michael Thomas leads all rookies in receptions (51), yards receiving (613) and TD catches (5). ... TE Coby Fleener had TD catch and TD run in Week 6 vs. Carolina. ... CB B.W. Webb had four pass breakups in last meeting. ... S Kenny Vaccaro has at least seven tackles in past four meetings with Carolina. .dddddddddddd.. Panthers are 2/3 at home after going 10-0 last season, including playoffs. ... Panthers have lost four games this season by combined 10 points. ... Panthers QB Cam Newton Is only player in NFL history with 20,000 yards passing (20,257) and 3,000 yards rushing (3,486) in first six seasons. ... WR Devin Funchess has TD catch in last two games vs. Saints. ... TE Greg Olsen has 23 receptions for 357 yards in last three games vs. Saints. ... Olsen ranks first among NFL tight ends with 50 catches for 712 receiving yards... C Ryan Kalil has missed the last two games with shoulder injury. ... DT Kawann Short has sack in last two home games. ...Rookie CB James Bradberry had career-high eight tackles in Week 10. ... Pass rush specialist Mario Addison has three sacks in last two games. ... LB Luke Kuechly is averaging 10.6 tackles per game in eight meetings with Saints. Kuechly is second in NFC with 88 tackles. Fantasy Tip: Panthers RB Jonathan Stewart ran for 85 yards and two TDs vs. Saints in last meeting and has four TDs rushing in last four meetings.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '
