NBA - 503 San Antonio Spurs @ 504 Orlando Magic
San Antonio was so used to face lowly teams (besides Memphis, but even in that case Marc Gasol got injured mid-game) that they struggled in adjusting to face a top team like Oklahoma City, especially regarding game intensity. If Tim Duncan was struggling in being efficient against bad teams, he was completely crushed by Serge Ibaka. San Antonio uses to create a bunch of easy shots down low, but they managed to shoot just 16-32 (50%) FG at the rim against the Thunder, while they struggled on their outside shooting. On the other side, Orlando defeated Philadelphia at home on a game where both Nikola Vucevic and Glen Davis crushed the Sixers' interior defense in the first half with 8-8 FG and 5-7 FG! With Spencer Hawes out, Orlando took advantage of that to pound the Sixers down low with 52 points in the paint, while Vucevic and Davis had a combined of 40 points, 19-28 FG, 21 rebounds and even six assists! Philadelphia had a nice edge on pick and rolls and on mid-range shooting, but they weren't aggressive with their starters shooting just 4-4 FT!
The Spurs will now come from facing a tough Thunder defense with active hands and Serge Ibaka protecting the rim into facing an Orlando defense, with a poor perimeter defense. So, this is a perfect bounce back for the Spurs! Orlando's pick and roll defense has been terrible by being just #25 in the league on pick and roll ball handler defense with 0.81 PPP allowed. After struggling against Russell Westbrook, Tony Parker will have a dream matchup tonight! Jameer Nelson is a game time decision for the Magic tonight and while Orlando started the season defending well the opposing treys, they allowed 58-149 (39%) 3pts over their last six games! I expect the Spurs to bounce back on this area as well tonight.
Orlando likes to play at a fast paced tempo, with a jump shooting style, even though with Glen Davis and Nikola Vucevic together on the frontcourt they have a stronger presence down low. Orlando shoots a lot of mid-range jumpers with some success and this is something that the Spurs' defense want their opponents to do, so Orlando has a nice matchup in here. The Magic started and ended the game well against Philadelphia, but when the Sixers were able to run their second unit out, Orlando had no answer. One of San Antonio's strengths is their ability to throw different lineups on the court at different moments of the game. Orlando is a limited in how to adjust to new situations because their key players are on court for 35 minutes per game or more every single time. Therefore, I expect San Antonio to have a clear bounce back game on offense tonight by crushing Orlando's defense. On the other hand, the Magic's offense should be also able to make some production on offense in here. Therefore, I expect a Spurs blowout tonight on a high scoring contest.
NOTE: both potential plays were scratched!
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