San Antonio Spurs vs Orlando Magic Prediction & Match Preview - October 10th, 2021 | NBA Preseason 2021-22
![The San Antonio Spurs travel to Amway Center to face the Orlando Magic in a friendly [Photo: Taiwan News]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2021/10/96601-16337721536513-800.jpg?w=500)
The San Antonio Spurs and the Orlando Magic will try to arrest their respective two-game slides when they battle at the Amway Center on Sunday.
The San Antonio Spurs lost to the Miami Heat in their previous game, despite the latter resting their major players like Kyle Lowry, Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. Gregg Popovich continues to shuffle his roster and give minutes to seldom-used players to check how much they have improved over the offseason.
Although Derrick White, Dejounte Murray and Keldon Johnson have had solid starts to the preseason, the rest of the roster is still groping for form. Chemistry is also something these Spurs are trying to work on.
The Orlando Magic's new head coach Jamahl Mosley has vowed to make the preseason just a glorious name for training camp. He has rolled out two different starting units and continues to tinker with various lineup combinations. The head tactician is expected to do more of the same in the Orlando Magic's match against the San Antonio Spurs.
Match Details
Fixture: San Antonio Spurs vs Orlando Magic
Date and Time: Sunday, October 10th; 6:00 PM ET (October 11th; 3:30 AM IST)
Venue: Amway Center, Orlando, FL
San Antonio Spurs Preview
Gregg Popovich took over the San Antonio Spurs' head coaching job in the 1996-1997 season. He had an All-Star and franchise-caliber player to rely on throughout those years until the opening of the 2021-22 NBA season.
With DeMar De Rozan's trade, the San Antonio Spurs head into the 2021-22 season with questions about who will be their main guy. There are candidates like Dejounte Murray, Derrick White and Keldon Johnson, but none of them are making the All-Star this season. Unless one of the trio makes a gigantic leap, the Silver and Black team does not have a main guy that can carry a franchise.
So far, the preseason has not shown any major leaps in the development of these potential stars. How Pop approaches this season is going to be worth looking into, not just for San Antonio Spurs fans.
Popovich transformed a young Tony Parker into an All-Star, so maybe he could do the same with the new crop of Spurs. If he manages to drag this team to the playoffs, this could easily be his best coaching gig ever.
The team's young core will definitely grow under Gregg Popovich and the Spurs culture 💯 https://t.co/8U1UNys1Nq
The San Antonio Spurs will likely do more tests before settling for a consistent rotation. The one guarantee in this matchup is that Pop's new-look Spurs will play hard and disciplined basketball.
Key Player – Dejounte Murray
The San Antonio Spurs seemed to struggle even more on both sides of the ball when Gregg Popovich gave Dejounte Murray a rest in the game against the Miami Heat.
As the engineer of the Spurs' offense, Murray dished out a career-high 5.4 assists per game. His scoring and rebounding were also his career-best, signifying his evolution as a well-rounded player.
Defense is where Dejoune Murray really shines for the San Antonio Spurs. He is quick, long and has exceptional defensive instincts. His 1.5 SPG last season did not do justice to how he affected the offense of opposing teams.
The offense has to keep up with Murray's defense for him to be the All-Star franchise player that the San Antonio Spurs are in dire need of. Having said that, his career true shooting percentage of 52.4% is just not enough. A 33.2% average from the rainbow country will just allow defenders to sag off of him and prevent San Antonio's band of rim attackers from doing damage.
The preseason will provide clues regarding Murray's shooting efficiency. If he can push it to the league average, he could operate the San Antonio Spurs on a different level.
San Antonio Spurs Predicted Lineup
G – Dejounte Murray | G – Derrick White | F – Doug McDermott | F – Keldon Johnson | C – Drew Eubanks
Orlando Magic Preview
Jamahl Mosley has played all 16 players on his Orlando Magic roster, with no one getting more than 24 minutes. He is certainly keeping his promise of doing more trial and error in the preseason games.
Despite the out-of-the-box approach to these friendly games, there are a few things that have stood out for the Orlando Magic.
Franz Wagner, who was drafted 8th overall by the Orlando Magic, is truly a project. He has had a dismal preseason based on numbers but has glimpses of tantalizing potential. The 2021-22 NBA season might be too soon for him despite a full offseason, training camp and friendlies.
.@JuwanHoward calls freshman Franz Wagner a “5-star talent.”
Here’s the first year @umichbball head coach with some high praise for Wagner at #B1GMediaDay. #GoBlue https://t.co/4RJpO868et
Besides the limited minutes the Orlando Magic players are getting, there is also the obvious fact that they lack a big-time scoring threat. Jalen Suggs might eventually become that guy, but being the main scoring option as a rookie is not likely to be pretty.
Key Player – Cole Anthony
Cole Anthony offers the best scoring option for this young and inexperienced Orlando Magic team. The sophomore guard is a savvy playmaker with 4.1 assists in his rookie campaign. His 41% 3P last May could extend to the upcoming regular-season games.
Without Markelle Fultz, the Orlando Magic would rely heavily on the second-year guard to guide the team to relevance.
Orlando Magic Predicted Lineup
G – Cole Anthony | G – Jalen Suggs | F – Terrence Ross | F – Moritz Wagner | C – Wendell Cartel, Jr.
Spurs vs Wizards Match Prediction
Predicting a game-winner here is an exercise in futility as both the San Antonio Spurs and Orlando Magic are not afraid to use some bizarre combinations. The coaches could also choose to rest some of their more established players.
However, based on personnel on paper and the results of the recent preseason games, the Spurs are taking this one in an exciting and close affair.
Where to watch Spurs vs Magic
Bally Sports Florida will provide live coverage of the game between the San Antonio Spurs and Orlando Magic locally. The game will also be aired live on the NBA League Pass.