The Orlando Magic finish their four-game homestand against the San Antonio Spurs looking to get a lone win before hitting the road again and starting the final quarter of the season.
Orlando Magic (17-36) vs. San Antonio Spurs (25-26)
Time/TV:
8 p.m./Bally Sports Florida
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2021 Season Series:
in San Antonio on March 12; Tonight in Orlando
| Pace | Off. Rtg. | Def. Rtg. | eFG% | O.Reb.% | TO% | FTR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Antonio | 99.7 | 109.9 | 111.2 | 51.7 | 23.7 | 11.4 | 24.0 |
| Orlando | 99.0 | 104.9 | 112.5 | 49.3 | 25.2 | 13.1 | 22.3 |
OMD Prediction
The Orlando Magic have had a few brutal losses since the trade deadline. The team seems ready to accept that nights like that will happen with the roster the team has left after the trade deadline. Every time the team has responded wtih a really spirited effort. The Magic might be undermanned, but they are a very proud bunch. They will not go down without a fight.
Effort is only half the battle though. And the question remains whether the Magic will be able to get enough stops or play with enough precision to earn wins. Let alone have enough firepower to stay in the game and give themselves a chance to win. Those are the big questions toward winning. The San Antonio Spurs are a high-execution team. But they are not a great shooting team. That might leave a window open if the magic limit their own mistakes and errors.
3 Keys To Watch
Mo’s Run
Mohamed Bamba has played really well since the trade deadline. The Orlando Magic’s third-year center is averaging 12.4 points per game and 5.4 rebounds per game while shooting 50.6-percent from the floor and 50.0-percent from beyond the arc. That is a good sign, especially for a team that struggles to shoot. He has set his career-high scoring mark twice in the last three games. Bamba is playing well on one end.
But he was quick to say how unhappy he was with his play in his career-best 21-point performance Sunday. He knows his impact comes elsewhere and to stay on the floor and get the continued investment from the team will take defense.
Since the trade deadline, the Magic’s defense has been poor — 115.0 points allowed per 100 possessions. With Bamba on the floor, the Magic are giving up 122.3 points per 100 possessions. The inconsistency defensively everywhere is a huge problem for the team. Bamba understands he has to be better defensively to make a true impact.
Begin to push
The San Antonio Spurs are a model franchise. Even with a group of young players and no discernible star, the Spurs remain around .500 and remain in the playoff picture in the rough-and-tumble Western Conference. This team seems to defy all logic. They do not take a ton of 3-pointers and have a relatively low effective field goal percentage. But they still find ways to beat teams and stay with them.
Whether San Antonio is able to push its way into the Playoffs or Play-In Tournament is going to get determined during this stretch of the season. Sunday’s win over the Dallas Mavericks began a stretch of five games in seven days for the Spurs. They will play just one game in that stretch. It is not a murderer’s row of opponents — they head to Tampa to play the Toronto Raptors after Monday’s game. But this is a big stretch for the Spurs to set themselves up. Everyone in the league is tired at this point. This will be the test for a playff-hungry team.
Robert Franks reinforcements
The Orlando Magic played Sunday’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks with no positional power forwards. James Ennis started at power forward and the team had to fill in behind him. It was not pretty and that might be at least part of why the Magic got beat up so much. It is not clear if Chuma Okeke will be able to play Monday as of this writing. But the Magic need help at power forward.
Enter the team’s newest acquisition — Lakeland Magic forward Robert Franks, who signed a 10-day contract Monday. Franks averaged 12.1 points and 6.6 rebounds per game for Lakeland this year after starting the year as an Exhibit 10 signee for the Magic in preseason. Franks hit on 9 of his 16 3-pointers during the G-League bubble.
Robert Franks has gained some comparisons to Gary Clark as an undersized power forward who has good enough mobility to defend and just enough shooting to keep defenses honest. The Magic just need the body at this point after buying out Khem Birch earlier this week.