Orlando Magic Grades: Orlando Magic 125, San Antonio Spurs 89
The Orlando Magic opened their preseason with a game that was sure to encourage everyone. A rout of the San Antonio Spurs where everything went right.
The final score to a preseason game is meaningless. Much less, the first preseason game.
Teams value different things and look to achieve different goals out of each game. They do not always match up. And the final score can get warped with teams playing their deep bench players. So that final score does not matter.
The things you can expect in a preseason game are sometimes sloppy play and experimenting. Players will test themselves.
What coaches are really looking for is a competitive spirit, attention to detail and a willingness to learn and be coached in the midst of a game. The short bursts of brilliance do not mean anything if they cannot be sustained or repeated.
And, to repeat, the score is the least important thing. Although nobody complains if you win.
Nobody would complain that the Orlando Magic defeated the San Antonio Spurs 125-89 in their preseason opener at AT&T Center on Saturday. It would be hard to complain about how they won it either.
The Magic got off to a blistering start offensively. After faltering a bit, their bench and depth took over. Then Orlando kept the foot down on the pedal when the starters returned. The Magic held the lead throughout the entire second half. Then they expanded it.
In a 41-point third quarter, Orlando charged past San Antonio with a 24-2 run. Markelle Fultz capped it with a one-handed jam off a pass from Mohamed Bamba.
Everyone had a hand in building that lead, whether it was Mohamed Bamba running the floor or Terrence Ross warming up and draining threes or, yes, Markelle Fultz working his way into the lane. The Magic, as they have wanted to get their defense to feed their offense.
Orlando put it all together. In exactly the way they wanted.
Granted, there were still problems to point out. The Magic committed 15 turnovers — three from D.J. Augustin and four from Markelle Fultz. The Spurs’ starters played only about 15 minutes together. The Magic built their lead largely against the reserve players.
Orlando will have plenty to work on to keep their defense consistent. But the Magic seemingly could feel good. They worked their offense, got good shots and scored a big win.
What more could you ask for?
The Orlando Magic head next to Detroit where they will take on the Detroit Pistons on Monday night.