San Antonio Spurs vs Orlando Magic Prediction: Lottery-bound Spurs take on inspiring Magic

The NBA Regular Season is going to be dusted in a few days and then we will hit the Playoffs/Play-in situation wherein teams will be in a rat race to the title. Thus, this closing window will determine a lot, which teams will end up in the top six to make it to the First Round of Playoffs automatically and which teams will feature in the Play-in tournament. In this game, a team that is knocked out of any sort of contention long ago, the San Antonio Spurs is going to take on the Orlando Magic.

The Spurs enter the game after a 90:102 loss against the Thunder despite a 23 points and 11 rebounds outing by Zach Collins. San Antonio has a surprising three wins and three losses in the last six games and this is the most competitive they have been after November. The Spurs have had a couple of big losing streaks, stretching to as much as 17. The Spurs entered the season with low expectations so it is not a surprise that they are heading to the lottery. Jeremy Sochan who was picked up in the last year’s draft has showcased tremendous promise but the core of Devin Vassell and Keldon Johnson needs a lot more around them. Victor Wembanayama, anyone?

The Magic enters the contest after defeating the Heat 126:114 in the OT courtesy of a 27 points and 11 rebounds outing by big Wendell Carter Jr. This broke a three-game losing streak and they haven’t won more than two in a row since the third week of December. They have 28 wins and 40 losses which may not look much but it is above par for a team that has multiple rookies, sophomores, and non-experienced players in the main rotations. Paolo Bachero and Franz Wagner both have averaged around 20 points and they are the main progenitors on the offensive end. The team defense has been in rather tatters lately and that is an area that needs a lot of work.

The Spurs have played much better than before lately and that can be because Devin Vasell has returned while the Magic’s defense has been a matador type so Devin can generate further offensive opportunities. Both are young teams and can end up crumbling when the opposition is playing at a high clip. I believe the Magic will come up here with a decisive effort and predict a scoreline of 122:112 in their favor.