ater, thats when youre going to get exposed. You might as well jus

SAN ANTONIO -- Before retiring Tim Duncans No. 21, the San Antonio Spurs paid tribute to their longtime teammate by playing the game as he did for 19 seasons.LaMarcus Aldridge had 22 points and the Spurs turned in a fundamentally strong performance in a 113-100 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday.It was a game that we had to win, that we wanted to win badly, San Antonio veteran Manu Ginobili said prior to the ceremony that followed the game. Even if we would have lost, this is way beyond it.Todays celebration is very, very important for his teammates, coaches and the whole franchise, the city. That guy is special. Even if we would have lost, it would have been an emotional night. Im emotional now and it hasnt even started.Duncan retired in the offseason after winning five championships and two MVPs in 19 seasons, all with San Antonio.For us, its harder for us to stay focused for this game, Spurs guard Danny Green said. Coming in, we knew it was going to be a lot of fun, but we wanted to be focused and respect New Orleans.Duncans style of play earned him the nickname The Big Fundamental, and the Spurs honored him with their own rather seamless performance against the Pelicans.San Antonio had six players score in double figures, got 31 assists on 42 baskets, committed just 13 turnovers and shot 49 percent from the field.Our physical effort was pretty good, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. Our mental effort was better than it has been. A lot of people participated and got involved, so that was good.Ginobili and Tony Parker, who combined to form The Big Three with Duncan, combined for 29 points, seven assists and five rebounds.San Antonio won its fourth straight overall and fourth consecutive at home after a slow start at the AT&T Center.Aldridge got the Spurs first points on a 20-foot jumper. San Antonio signed Aldridge to play alongside Duncan last season and eventually replace him at power forward.He was very aggressive tonight, Popovich said. He wanted the ball. He demanded the ball, and he got the ball. He was very aggressive going to the hole. Taking shots that were open.Aldridge shot 6 for 15 from the field in 26 minutes.Alexis Ajinca led New Orleans with 16 points. Anthony Davis was limited to 12 points on 5-of-12 shooting.The Pelicans lost for the eighth time in 10 games.Were very inconsistent, Davis said. One game we play well offensively, defensively were talking, and another game were not. Weve got to figure out what team we want to be identified as. We cant keep going game from game with a different identity. Weve got to come out the same way.TIP-INSPelicans: F Solomon Hill missed the game to be with his wife after the birth of their first child. ... Quincy Pondexter has not played this season after having arthroscopic surgery on his left knee in March 2016. ... The Pelicans are 13-41 against the Spurs in franchise history, including just four wins in 28 games in San Antonio.Spurs: San Antonio retired Duncans jersey following the game. Among his former teammates in attendance to honor Duncan were David Robinson, Bruce Bowen, Sean Elliott, Malik Rose, Antonio Daniels and Will Perdue. ... The Spurs are 10-0 this season when Tony Parker scores in double figures. Parker had 12 on 6-for-12 shooting against the Pelicans. ... San Antonio has 30 alley-oop dunks in 26 games this season. They had 18 all of last season.IS THERE A PATENT?Popovich was asked if the Spurs played harder to ensure they didnt put a damper on Duncans retirement ceremony. Popovich responded in typical Popovich fashion.I brought my `I want to play for Timmy Duncan tonight gauge, Popovich said, but I left it in the locker room so Im not exactly sure how fired up they were.UP NEXTPelicans: At New Orleans on Tuesday night.Spurs: At Houston on Tuesday night.DOnta Foreman Womens Jersey . Nathan MacKinnon, Jamie McGinn and Jan Hejda also scored for the Avalanche, who won despite being outshot 38-23. MacKinnons goal, also on the power play, came with just over a minute remaining. J.J. Watt Jersey . -- Chicago Bears cornerback Tim Jennings was selected Monday to his second straight Pro Bowl, while guard Kyle Long made it after a solid rookie season. http://www.texansrookiestore.com/Texans-Deandre-Hopkins-Jersey/ . First off, the fans ripped the Cubbies introduction of a fuzzy new kid-friendly mascot named "Clark". Lonnie Johnson Youth Jersey . Despite dominating possession, Schalke needed an own goal from Nicolas Hoefler for the breakthrough a minute before the interval. The Freiburg midfielder misjudged Jefferson Farfans corner and bundled the ball into his own net. Arian Foster Texans Jersey . -- Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson asked his players a simple question during Fridays morning shootaround: How many of them had ever been on a team 14 games over .VANCOUVER, B.C. -- The challenges continue for the Vancouver Canucks defense corps.It was learned Monday that top rearguard Alex Edler will need surgery to repair a broken finger and be out for the next month. Edlers injury means that Vancouver will be without him and fellow veteran Chris Tanev for an extended period, starting Tuesday as the Canucks (9-11-2) host the Minnesota Wild (11-7-3) at Rogers Arena.Its tough, Vancouver defenseman Philip Larsen told reporters after practice Monday. Thats our first (defense) pairing. A lot of (defensemen) have to step up and do as good as we can.The absences of Edler and Tanev, who has been sidelined in recent weeks and shows no signs of returning soon, pose more challenges for a Vancouver defense crew that is trending younger this season. Since the start of the campaign, injuries, other health woes and inconsistency have forced coach Willie Desjardins to adjust his pairings and give more playing time to some defensemen than he would like.Edler, 30, who usually records the most minutes per game among defensemen, if not the whole team, was injured on Saturday night while blocking a shot in the first period of a 3-2 shootout victory over the Colorado Avalanche in Denver. With Edler and Tanev now both out, Larsen, a 26-year-old offensive defenseman from Esbjerg, Denmark, who is in his first season with the Canucks, has a chance to play a more active role.But it remains to be seen how much action Larsen will see. He resumed practicing with the team Monday after being sidelined with a virus.Its been a tough couple weeks, said Larsen, a right-side rearguard. Its nice to be back. It was a tough practice and it was kind of nice to get it going.At the outset of the season, Larsen was seen as a positive addition to Vancouvers power play, but it has been terrible most of the season -- and he has rarely been on it. He has lacked consistency after returning to the National Hockey League following two seasons in Europes Kontinental Hockey League. Before getting sick, he struggled to stay in the lineup.It was tough, he said. I got out of the lineup and I wanted to get back in as quick as possible. Then whhen I got sick on top of that, it was pretty frustrating.ddddddddddddWith Edler out for an extended period, rookie Troy Stecher, 22, will almost assuredly play a more prominent role. Stecher, a native of the Vancouver suburb of Richmond, B.C., began the season with Utica of the American Hockey League -- and is on his second call-up -- but has quickly emerged as one of the Canucks top blueliners.A right-handed shot, Stecher has played on both the right and left sides while taking a regular shift and pulling duty on both specialty teams. If Larsen can return soon Stecher may soon see more action on the left side, which is Edlers usual spot. The rookie stood out in Denver after Edlers injury limited the Canucks to five defensemen, leading the Canucks with five shots.Stecher is determined to make a difference in spite of his neophyte status.I think you have to have that mindset, Stecher, an undrafted free agent signing out of the University of North Dakota, told The Vancouver Sun. I think if you go into (the NHL) and kind of dip your toe in the water, thats when youre going to get exposed. You might as well just do a cannonball and throw everything you have into it.The Canucks are hoping to go on a cannonball run of sorts after finishing their worst first quarter of a season since 1997. They won two of three games on their recent road trip and are looking to keep the good times rolling against the Wild.Meanwhile, Wild coach Bruce Boudreau would also like his team to get on a winning streak. The Wild enter Tuesdays contest on the heels of a 4-3 shootout loss in St. Louis. The Wild squandered a 2-1 lead in the third period, rallied to force overtime, but still lost.However, Minnesota, which will play its second contest on a five-game road trip Tuesday, has still fared well lately. The Wild went 2-0-2 in four games last week, earning six of a possible eight points.I think were playing good hockey, Boudreau told reporters. Its just not winning eight in a row. I would like to be able to put something together. ' ' '