NEW ORLEANS -- The New Orleans Pelicans were a MASH unit last season, so riddled with injuries that their players missed a combined total of 351 games, forcing coach Alvin Gentry to use 42 starting lineup combinations.Now that the calendar has flipped to the 2016-17 season -- with the home opener Wednesday night against the Denver Nuggets at Smoothie King Center -- Gentry wouldnt be blamed if he enlisted the aid of a French Quarter voodoo priestess as a way of ensuring the good health of his players, especially All-Star forward Anthony Davis.Davis, the first overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, never missed a game in his 40-game, NCAA championship, freshman season at Kentucky. But, in four NBA seasons, the Pelicans franchise player has missed 68 games with injuries. A medical flow chart indicates he has injured 13 body parts.Davis porcelain reputation can be explained in part by his pedal-to-the-metal style and his penchant for throwing his body into the expensive seats chasing down loose balls. But after Davis season-ending knee injury last March, which required arthroscopic surgery, forced him to withdraw from the U.S. Olympic team, he spent the summer fully rehabbing and continuing to add muscle to his athletic frame.Then, with the Pelicans playing in China on Oct. 12, Davis stepped on the foot of Houston Nenes foot and suffered a Grade 2 ankle sprain. But Davis returned for the preseason finale on Friday and is scheduled to start Wednesday.It doesnt concern me, Davis, who averaged 24.3 points, 10.3 rebounds and 2.0 blocks last year, said about his recent injury history. Its basketball. Injuries are part of basketball.It just seems that the Pelicans have more than most other teams. General manager Dell Demps said Tuesday he does not expect guard Tyreke Evans (knee) to hit the floor until December. Forward Quincy Pondexter (knee), who has not played since April 2015, has had a few setbacks in his recovery and is probably going to take a little bit longer.In addition, starting point guard Jrue Holiday is healthy but is caring for wife Lauren, who last month gave birth and then underwent surgery to remove a brain tumor. The Pelicans have placed no timetable on when Holiday will return to the team.Evans injury and Holidays unavailability contribute to the Pelicans decision to keep guard-forward Lance Stephenson, releasing Alonzo Gee even though Gee had a $1.2 million guaranteed contract.With the injuries to Tyreke and Jrue not being with the team, we felt we needed a little more playmaking, Demps said. (Lance) can go out and create and make plays for others.Anybody would be disappointed, but its just a part of it, Gentry said. You hope that everybody gets better.While much of the NBA seems to be enamored with small ball, the Nuggets appear to be getting bigger. Coach Mike Malone paired big men Jusuf Nurkic (7-0) and Nikola Jokic (6-11) during the preseason and appears ready to give it a try for real.Nurkic has shown the ability to draw fouls as the Nuggets work their offense through him, and he is strong on the offensive glass and finishing near the basket. Jokic has been a cog in the Nuggets high-post offense and has shown the ability to pick and pop. Both are considered capable passers.Theres definitely some Balkan buddy ball going on with those two guys, Malone said. They do look for each other, which is great. Theyre so skilled, and the great thing about Nikola is that he can space the floor, so its not like we have two guys that are stuck on the block, which takes away driving lanes from our perimeter players. The floor is open. Dresovi Vedran Corluka .J. -- Marty Brodeur beat the Pittsburgh Penguins yet again. Dres Ivan Perisic . Howard Ganz, an MLB lawyer, said in a letter to U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos that Rodriguezs claims do not come "remotely close" to what is needed to overturn an arbitration decision in federal court. http://www.dresovihrvatskereprezentacije.com/dresovi-milan-badelj.html .B. - Sebastien Auger made 44 saves as the Saint John Sea Dogs edged the visiting Acadie-Bathurst Titan 2-1 on Saturday in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. Dres Tin Jedvaj . The 18th player to shoot 60 on the tour, Jamieson settled for par on the final hole when his 15-foot birdie chip grazed the edge of the hole and stayed out. After opening with rounds of 66 and 73 to make the cut by a stroke, he had 11 birdies in the bogey-free round. Domagoj Vida Dres . PETERSBURG, Fla. LEVI, Finland -- It took Austrias Marcel Hirscher just two races to get back to where he finished each of the past five seasons -- on top of the mens World Cup overall standings.Hirscher overcame an illness on the eve of the slalom opener on Sunday to lead teammate Michael Matt for an Austrian 1-2 finish.The five-time overall champion finished a huge 1.30 seconds ahead of Matt to clinch his 40th career win. It was the first Austrian 1-2 finish in a World Cup slalom since Hirscher beat Michael Matts older brother, Mario, at the same venue three years ago.Manfred Moelgg of Italy was 1.31 seconds back in third for his first podium finish in nearly three years, while Germanys Felix Neureuther came another 0.10 further behind in fourth.Physically it went very well. I have no pains. Yesterday it was really bad but this morning I knew it would work out, said Hirscher, who suffered from an inflammation of the middle ear.He skipped Saturdays training and decided only in the morning hours before the race to start. He headed back to his hotel for treatment immediately after completing his first run.Hirscher overtook Alexis Pinturault on top of the overall standings. The Frenchman, who beat the Austrian to win the season-opening GS last month, finished 1.87 behind in 11th. Hirscher has 180 points, 56 clear of Pinturault.Hirschers victory also put the Austrian level with Pirmin Zurbriggen on the all-time winners list. Only four skiers have won more races in the 50-year history of the World Cup -- Ingemar Stenmark (86), Hermann Maier (54), Alberto Tomba (50), and Marc Girardelli (46).I felt no pressure at all, Hirscher told The Associated Press. For me personally, I have won already a lot of races and I am done with `I have to win races.Matt, who improved from sixth to second for his first career podium result, said he was more nervous for my first run than for my second as I knew by then that everything was OK. He described being on the podium as an amazing feeling.I made a big step in the summer physically and mentally and the goals were top-10 ressults and now with the first race podium, its amazing, he said.ddddddddddddarco Schwarz, who trailed Hirscher by just 0.21 after the first run, slid off the course and didnt finish his final run, but another Austrian, Manuel Feller, took fifth.Austrias slalom team lost several big names as Benjamin Raich, Mario Matt and Reinfried Herbst all retired in the past two seasons. But Hirscher said the many young and upcoming talents on the team help him to further improve.Its perfect in training, said Hirscher, who has won 19 slaloms in his career. It wasnt easy for me in the beginning but the young guys really give me motivation. Thats truly super.Hirscher didnt want to give his huge winning margin too much meaning as his main rival from last season, Henrik Kristoffersen, skipped the race.One guy was missing, the fastest from last year. But it was a great race, Hirscher said.Kristoffersen, who won six slaloms last year to claim the discipline title, sat out the race amid a dispute with the Norwegian ski federation over sponsorship rights. The federations rules wont allow Kristoffersen to sign a personal sponsor for his helmet.Hirscher said its pretty bad that ... the fastest slalom skier of the last season isnt competing now and added that he hopes they can find a solution.Hopefully hes back in the next races because I have to see how close I can get to his pace, he said.Britains Dave Ryding, who was fourth after the opening run, dropped to sixth for his career-best result. And the winner of the final slalom of last season, Andre Myhrer of Sweden, failed to qualify for the second leg after he skied out of the course halfway through his run.Tough conditions included temperatures of about 18 F (minus 8 C) and clouds hanging low over the course. Several racers complained about their goggles freezing up during their runs.The mens World Cup continues in Lake Louise, Alberta, with a downhill and a super-G on Nov. 26-27. Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping Stitched NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL T-shirts Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Youth NFL Jerseys Wholesale ' ' '