New Orleans Hornets (0-0) at San Antonio Spurs (0-0), 8 p.m.

Sports Network | October 28, 2009

(Sports Network) - A pair of Southwest Division rivals square off tonight, when the San Antonio Spurs welcome the New Orleans Hornets to the AT&T Center in the season opener for both franchises.

The four-time NBA champion Spurs have made the playoffs 12 years in a row and were ousted by the Dallas Mavericks in five games in the first round last season. Head coach Gregg Popovich has been in San Antonio since the 1996 campaign and owns a 686-330 record, including a 102-60 mark in the playoffs.

Popovich has some new faces mixed with old ones this season. Richard Jefferson was added to the roster when the Spurs shipped defensive stalwart Bruce Bowen, Kurt Thomas and Fabricio Oberto to the Bucks. The Spurs also bolstered their frontcourt with the additions of veterans Antonio McDyess and Theo Ratliff. Rookie forward DeJuan Blair was added as well when he slipped to No. 37 in the NBA Draft.

Center Tim Duncan and guards Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili are back, but the main concern is the health of Ginobili. He missed 38 games last season and the entire playoffs because of ankle problems. The former Sixth Man of the Year is entering the final year of his contract.

New Orleans has reached the playoffs in each of the last two years, and was bounced in five games by the Denver Nuggets in the first round. All-Star guard and MVP candidate Chris Paul is back for another shot at a title and led the team in scoring with 22.8 points per game. He also averaged 11.0 assists a game. Paul won't have center Tyson Chandler, who was shipped to Charlotte for Emeka Okafor. Okafor didn't play in the preseason because of an injury.

West scored a career-best 21.0 points per game with 8.5 rebounds in 2008-09 under head coach Byron Scott. Scott is 200-210 with the Hornets since taking over in 2004.

New Orleans and San Antonio have split the past eight matchups, while the Hornets have dropped three straight and nine of 10 games at the Spurs.