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Preseason Rundown: Magic outscore Spurs in Orlando
After falling closely to the Miami Heat on Saturday, the San Antonio Spurs(3-3) paid a visit to Orlando where they were hosted by the Magic. Unlike the close game against Miami, Sunday was a game in which the Spurs were in it for one quarter, and they just couldn’t make a strong push against the Magic as they fell 104-101 on Sunday.
Danny Green was the leading scorer on Sunday with 13 points in 25 minutes, while three other Spurs players added double-digit points on the scoreboard, but in the end, a big night from several Magic players was too much for the Spurs.
Here’s the rundown of Sunday’s game.
First quarter: Spurs 24, Magic 22
Player of the quarter: Tim Duncan - The Spurs picked the new-look Magic apart early and Duncan (9 points) was a recipient of open passes as he collected seven points in the first quarter in an assortment of ways.
Play of the quarter: Early in the first, Duncan made and-1 jump-hook while spinning as he fell to the ground.
Second quarter: Spurs 41, Magic 50
Player of the quarter: Tony Parker (10 points) and Manu Ginobili (12 points) both contributed on the scoreboard individually in the second, but the Magic used an 11-3 run late in the second quarter to take and hold the lead for the remainder of the game.
Play of the quarter: Though it didn’t count, on one play Derrick Brown was rolling to the basket and his teammate found him as he dunked over Gustavo Ayon. The whistle was called before the dunk, but the semi-play showed Brown’s athletic ability.
Third quarter: Spurs 72, Magic 79
Player of the quarter: Aside from Stephen Jackson (10 points), Green, and Gary Neal (10 points) contributing with their outside shooting, the Magic maintained their lead in the third as their lead grew to as much as 15 points before the Spurs trimmed it into single digits going into the fourth.
Fourth quarter: Spurs 100, Magic 104
Player of the quarter: Neal, Patty Mills, and Derrick Brown (9 points) helped the Spurs create a rally late, but in the end the Magic’s offensive night was just too much for the Spurs to battle back from.
Back to San Antonio
The Spurs will return to San Antonio in which they’ll have a week to prepare for their final preseason game as they host the Washington Wizards on Friday in preparation for the regular season on Halloween night.
The final spot
Eddy Curry: After scoring nine points in an impressive way on Saturday, Curry did not play on Sunday.
Derrick Brown: Brown was given roughly 14 minutes of playing time on Sunday after playing zero minutes on Saturday. He showed off an array of his offensive skills as he dunked a few times, knocked down a mid-range jumper, and even hit from the outside. In the second, he was effective on a double-team that forced the Magic to force a bad shot. His size as a power forward is still suspect as on one play in the second quarter, Andrew Nicholson scored on him with a simple jump-hook. As a wing defender, he still seems a little slow in staying with quick small forwards.
No matter how agile Brown is and how good can he be in guarding the likes of Durant. He's defense is no better than Curry at this point. He may have an array of moves but is he still capable of those in a real game? I'm no Curry fan but if I'm going to pck between the two guys. Curry and his experience for me. Brown can still improve but I see him playing more on the D-League first much like Tolliver did.Duncan is like a bottle of Dom Perignon man. Garnett's already huffing and puffing but TD is like a wine who gets better with age.
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Would you rather have Curry to help with Howard or Brown help with Durant? I like Curry's big body leaning on Howard, but Brown might help more with the Durant matchup.
Why is Brown necessarily competing with Curry? They could both make the team. We have Joseph, Mills, de Colo, Curry, and Brown competing for 4 spots, and I can't imagine that we would take 2 guards when we are absolutely stacked there. Brown plays great defense and has superb athletic ability, and Curry, while not known for his defense, has height which is something we don't have.
@spurs123 CJ, PM, and NDC have guaranteed contracts and none will be bought out. Unless DJB or GN are let go or traded (non guaranteed deals), only one camper can be added, and even that might not happen
