The Orlando Magic head on the road to Frost Bank Center in Texas for a 2024-25 NBA preseason matchup against the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday.
The Spurs ended last season 22-60 and 14th in the Western Conference standings, while the Magic posted a 47-35 record to clinch the Southeast Division and finish fifth in the Eastern Conference.
Match preview
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After managing just 12-29 at home last season, the San Antonio Spurs got the 2024-25 NBA preseason underway with another home defeat, coming up five points short of Oklahoma Thunder (112-107) last night.
The standout performer for the Spurs on the night, though, was Julian Champagnie, who posted 22 points and seven rebounds in the loss, including a respectable 6-13 shooting from beyond the arc.
Sandro Mamukelashvili, now in his fourth year with the franchise, picked up 14 points, and Blake Wesley - arguably the team's best defender - notched up a pair of steals but also recorded seven assists at the other end of the court.
The major concern Gregg Popovich will look to address going into Spurs' second match will likely be his side's sluggish start, as they struggled to keep up with OKC out the gate and entered the half-time break down 58-45 before rallying in the second half.
On the flip side, the positive Popovich would have taken from the performance is that 12 of his players got on the scoresheet and three finished with double figures in the absence of Victor Wembanyama, Chris Paul and Devin Vassell, all of whom sat out the preseason opener.
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Meanwhile, the Orlando Magic's trip to Louisiana also ended in defeat, as they went down 106-104 to the New Orleans Pelicans, with Anthony Black missing what would have been a game-winning three-point attempt at the final buzzer.
In what was a fairly underwhelming all-round performance from the Magic, only three players, Paolo Banchero (15 points, three rebounds and two assists), Jalen Suggs (11 points, four rebounds, three assists) and Cole Anthony (11 points), reached double digits in the loss.
Off the back of last season's playoffs, it was evident that Orlando had limitations, particularly in creating offence and hitting threes with regularity, which led the side to sign Kentavious Caldwell-Pope from the Denver Nuggets as a potential answer.
However, KCP's first game in a Magic uniform did not go as most Orlando fans would have hoped, as he recorded just two points on 1-4 shooting from the field, along with two rebounds, and a steal.
As a unit, Jamahl Mosley's side made only nine of their 36 three-point attempts on the night, with Caldwell-Pope attempting only two threes and missing both, though having shot around 40% from beyond the arc in each of his last four seasons, his opening night performance is no reason to start ringing any alarm bells just yet.
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Team News
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The Spurs will head into the second match of the preseason without the services of Charles Bassey, David Duke Jr and Devin Vassell, all of whom are ruled out due to injury.
However, we are likely to see Wembanyama make the starting lineup after sitting out last night, while Champagnie is expected to continue at shooting guard with Vassell still nursing an injured foot.
The big news overnight for the Magic was the confirmation of a big-money contract extension for Wendell Carter Jr, which will see him remain in Orlando for the next five years.
However, Carter's participation tonight is in doubt after he appeared to roll his ankle and fell to the floor in the third quarter while defending a shot by Daniel Theis.
Mosley said before the loss to the Thunder that his starters would be given 18-20 minutes in the preseason opener to allow more players time on the floor, which also suggests that we could see the likes of Black and Moritz Wagner brought into the starting lineup tonight.
San Antonio possible starting 5:
Jones, Champagnie, Barnes, Sochan, Wembanyama
Orlando Magic possible starting 5:
Black, Caldwell-Pope, Wagner, Banchero, Wagner
We say: Orlando Magic to win by 3+ points
While the Spurs are likely to benefit from the return of Victor Wembanyama in this match, the Magic's defence is still looking solid and should improve further with each preseason match.
We are expecting an improved performance by the hosts here but feel that the visitors will edge a victory in this one.
