SAN ANTONIO -- Tim Duncan retired in the offseason, and guards Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker were on the bench in street clothes resting in the San Antonio Spurs' home opener Saturday night.

But even without the accomplished trio known simply in San Antonio as the "Big Three," the Spurs were just fine.

San Antonio never trailed after the first quarter and blew the game open with a 17-4 run late in the third quarter to cruise past the winless Pelicans 98-79 at the AT&T Center.

Spurs small forward Kawhi Leonard didn't score a field goal until a dunk with 2:22 to go in the first half, but put in 16 of his team-high 20 points in the second half. He was 6-for-6 from the free-throw line to remain perfect at 28-for-28.

The story of this game, however, was at the defensive end. San Antonio (3-0) ran defenders in waves at New Orleans power forward Anthony Davis, who entered the game averaging 47.5 points per contest for the young season, but it was primarily Spurs power forward LaMarcus Aldridge who drew that assignment.

Davis and guard E'Twaun Moore tied for the team lead with 18 points apiece, but Davis star never found a way to take control of the action in the paint. The duo of Davis and Moore didn't get much help either, as nobody else scored in double figures for New Orleans, and the Pelicans shot 37.2 percent from the floor and 4-for-23 from 3-point range.

"Anthony is obviously a great player," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "We just wanted to work on individual defense, so we didn't give Aldridge any help (early). We just let him guard him. LA did a good job on it."

Spurs center Pau Gasol averaged 4.5 points per game in his first two games since being acquired in the offseason, but eclipsed that mark with seven in the first six minutes as he and point guard Patty Mills combined for the team's first 12 points.

San Antonio balanced its attack the rest of the way, with 11 players scoring at least once. Mills drilled four of his seven 3-point tries on his way to 18 points starting in place of Parker, Aldridge added 12 points and served as the primary defender on Davis, and guard Jonathan Simmons hit for 11. Gasol contributed a solid all-around effort with nine points, eight rebounds and five assists.

"It was a good opportunity," Mills said. "Obviously (the starting and bench) group play different styles, so it was good to get out with the first group today."

A Davis three-point play tied the score at 12 with 6:21 left in the opening quarter, but Aldridge dropped in a 3-pointer, a mid-range jumper, a layup and a free throw to score all his team's points in an 8-2 spurt that made it a 20-14 score.

New Orleans (0-3) got back within one late in the first quarter, but Spurs rookie guard Nicolas Laprovittola assisted on a midrange jumper from center Dewayne Dedmon and made a pair of free throws after a clear-path foul late to push San Antonio's lead to 28-23 at the end of the frame.

"We've got to continue to work," New Orleans coach Alvin Gentry said. "We've played three games, so we've got 79 to go. Contrary to what everybody believes, our season isn't over yet."

Laprovittola handed the Spurs their first double-digit lead of the night at 6:07 of the second quarter with a three-point play, and the margin stayed that way at 55-45 at halftime.

The Spurs extended their advantage by making the Pelicans pay for every mistake. New Orleans turned the ball over seven times in the first half, and San Antonio cashed them in for 15 points on the other end.

"If you're going to have live turnovers against these guys, they're going to make you pay," Gentry said.

The Pelicans never got closer than eight in the second half, and Leonard scored nine straight Spurs' points to spearhead their run late in the third quarter that ended any hopes of a New Orleans comeback.

NOTES: San Antonio was 2-1 against New Orleans last season, including a 100-92 Spurs win on March 30 that gave the Spurs a 38-0 record at the AT&T Center, the most home wins in a row to start a season in NBA history ... Spurs F Kawhi Leonard is the first player since Lloyd Free (later World B. Free) in 1979 to collect 65 points and 10 steals in the first two games of the season ... New Orleans F Anthony Davis became the first player in franchise history with back-to-back 40-point games. He scored 50 against Denver on Wednesday and 45 against Golden State on Friday ... Pelicans G Tim Frazier entered Saturday's game as one of two players in the NBA averaging at least 18 points, 10.5 assists and 5.5 rebounds per game. The other is Houston G James Harden.