The matchup of the game for Friday when the New Orleans Hornets visit the AT&T Center to face the San Antonio Spurs is between Tim Duncan and Anthony Davis.
The last time these two teams met Duncan got the better in the first matchup.
It was a very impressive stat line for both men with Duncan scoring 24 points and grabbing 11 rebounds and Davis scoring 21 points and grabbing 11 boards.
Duncan was very strong in the paint shooting 72% (8-11) and shooting 100% (2-2) from mid range, which helps open up his inside game on drives.
Davis shot 37% (3-8) from the paint and 67% from mid range (2-3). These stats may be premature for this upcoming game because this was Davis' first game in the NBA and he's fine tuned his game since then.
Duncan and the Spurs need to put a body on him the whole game as he's shown the energy to get into the paint for put backs and rebounds with his height and jumping skills. Don't be surprised if Duncan gets more than a few touches to slow down the game and calm down his opponent's energy level so the game won't get out of hand.
If Duncan can keep Davis from getting in the paint and forcing him to take tough shots, it will be a long night for the Hornets.
Davis has to take over the game and give Duncan a short night and a huge deficit for the Spurs to overcome.
If Duncan is the one doing damage early, it will mean a short night for him but will mean bad news for the Hornets because Davis will have to deal with a Spurs bench who will be looking to score at will with a big lead.