San Antonio vs. Orlando, Final Score: Spurs overcome sloppy start to defeat the Magic 107-97

Photos by Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images

The debut from Wemanyama and Chris Paul wasn’t smooth to start with, but the Spurs found their way to a 10 point win over the Magic

Victor Wembanyama looked a little rusty to start out tonight, but the connection between him and Chris Paul started to pay dividends as the Spurs started to overcome a sloppy start to make the game competitive by halftime. Stephon Castle continued to show improvement as a defender and on offense, and did well against Paolo Banchero after a tough start. The Spurs finally completed the comeback to tie it up halfway through the third quarter, and Paul and Wembanyama’s night’s were done. The Spurs, led by Stephon Castle and Mamukelashvili led the Spurs until the fourth quarter, when both teams cleared the benches as the Spurs took over with some rugged play from their reserves and won by 10.

Observations

The conventional wisdom is that preseason games are just meaningless practice games because they don’t count in the standings. That’s probably true for players who have already locked up roster spots with the team, but for players who are looking to make a living in professional basketball, these games are very important. It’s probably their only chance to land a spot on a NBA roster, or get into an organization where they have a chance of developing. The Spurs organization understands that, and makes sure that they get some time to show their skills before they get cut before the season starts.
I’m not sure about Jacob Tobey yet, but he had some huge shoes to fill in replacing Bill Land. It’ll probably take some time for him to get used to the job, and the relationship between him and Sean Elliott still seems a little awkward. I think he should get better with experience. On the other hand, Dan Weiss looks comfortable and relaxed in his role, and he was great in his role on the broadcast.
The Spurs looked more organized than the first game with Chris Paul running the point, but the shooting was Star Wars stormtrooper level in the first quarter. Just lots of blasting away and never hitting the target, except for Julian Champagnie, who was still on fire from his six-triple performance on Monday.
Jett Howard looks really good for the Magic. He’s definitely learned a lot from his dad.
Paolo Banchero took Stephon Castle to school with a nice move under the basket for a spectacular dunk in the first quarter. It’s a good learning experience for the rook.
Wembanyama was taking some bad shots, but Chris Paul showed the way by hitting him on an alley oop for an easy and-one. We’ve heard a lot about Victor’s improved shot this summer, but it wasn’t showing early in tonight’s game, his most impactful plays were in the paint where his length gave him a huge advantage.
The Spurs trailed 20-34 after one quarter where they couldn’t do much right on either end of the court. The Magic just looked better prepared and more organized, and the Spurs defense was about as shambolic as I’ve ever seen in the NBA. The second quarter was better, especially on defense, as the effort level increased, and Wembanyama worked more closer to the basket, and they cut the lead in half, trailing by seven at the half.
Wemby’s attempt to nutmeg one of the Magic guards was pretty bold, but Pop didn’t approve, as it killed a Spurs chance to tie the game early in the third quarter. The Spurs finally tied the score at 63 with 6:38 left in the quarter.
Sidy Cissoki—how can a player look so good while being so bad? He just looks like he would be an elite basketball player, but every time he gets on the court, he betrays that by just messing up routine plays on offense and defense. Every once in a while you see a flash of something, but then it’s quickly sniffed out. I’m still a believer in Sidy, but he makes it so hard. I just have to keep reminding myself that he’s very young, and is still improving.
Stephon Castle had a much more impactful game than his debut, drawing fouls and giving effort on defense. He and Mamukelashvili were the leaders late in the third and the Spur went to the final period tied at 79 each. After a few more minutes run in the fourth quarter, his night was done with 17 points and some impressive plays on both ends of the court.
After the first few minutes of the fourth quarter, both teams cleared their benches and it started to look like a Summer League game with guys like Matt McClung and Riley Minix facing off for a shot at a real roster spot. Brandon Boston looked nice for the Spurs, which he’ll probably be doing in Austin once the G-League season begins.

The Spurs have a few days off before another preseason contest against the Jazz on Saturday, and then finish out the preseason next week at Miami on Tuesday and in Houston on Thursday night. The real games start for the Spurs on October 24 at Dallas against Luka Doncic and the Mavericks.