Game Preview: San Antonio Spurs at Orlando Magic.

The San Antonio Spurs will play their final game before the All-Star break tonight in Orlando against the Magic. Will the Spurs improve their Rodeo Road Trip record to 4-2?

Despite having a 2-2 Rodeo Road Trip record on Sunday after losing to the New York Knicks, the San Antonio Spurs are now 3-2, and look to improve to 4-2 after tonight’s game with the Orlando Magic.

The Magic enter this game with an overall record of 21-26, 14th in the Eastern Conference. Since the beginning of January, the Magic are 6-17.

To make matters worse, the Magic pulled the trigger on a trade yesterday. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of the Vertical, the Magic agreed to trade forward Serge Ibaka for Terrance Ross and a 2017 1st-round pick.

The Raptors are trading for Serge Ibaka to fortify their roster for a playoff run & beyond. @WojVerticalNBA report. https://t.co/IuQ8CW3kOF pic.twitter.com/aAH4Ff5YAd

— The Vertical (@TheVertical) February 14, 2017

Since Ibaka had informed the Magic he would not be returning in the offseason, the Magic decided to unload Ibaka and get a return for him while they still can. Getting a 2017 1st-round pick in the upcoming draft is a smart move for the Magic.

Until the season is over, the Magic will arguably be one of the league’s worst teams.

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If Gregg Popovich really wanted to, he could rest Kawhi Leonard today and the Spurs will still come out victorious. However, this is the Spurs last game until Friday, February 26th, which is 11 days from now, so you can expect Popovich to play all of his players.

By the Numbers

The Spurs are averaging 106.7 points per game, 10th in the NBA.

The Magic are averaging 99.9 points per game, second to last in the NBA.

The Spurs are shooting 40.4% from beyond the arc, 1st in the NBA.

The Magic are shooting 33.2%, 28th in the NBA.

The Spurs are shooting 80.8% from the charity stripe, third in the NBA.

The Magic are shooting 72.3% from the free throw line, 29th in the NBA.

Yes, only the Spurs (98.7 PPG), Jazz (95.8 PPG) & Grizzlies (99.6 PPG) are holding teams below 100 PPG this season. https://t.co/AI3dIYOE2c

— Paul Garcia (@PaulGarciaNBA) February 14, 2017

On the defensive side, the Spurs are allowing 98.7 points per game, second in the NBA.

The Magic are allowing 106.7 points per game, 20th in the NBA.

Opponents are shooting 44.3% against the Spurs, fourth in the NBA.

Opponents are shooting 46.4% against the Magic, 25th in the NBA.

The Spurs are allowing opponents to shoot 34.2% from beyond the arc, third in the NBA.

The Magic are allowing opponents to shoot 36.7% from beyond the arc, 25th in the NBA.

The Bottom Line

Despite all those statistics, the Spurs and Magic faced off back on November 29th. The Magic upset the Spurs in this game, winning 95-83.

Why?

The Magic had five players in double digits (Aaron Gordon, Ibaka, Evan Fournier, Nikola Vucevic, Elfrid Payton), while the Spurs had just three (Leonard, LaMarcus Aldridge, Manu Ginobli).

After 55 games, the Spurs still rank 5th in Offense (110.1 Pp/100) and 1st in Defense (101.3 Pp/100).

— Paul Garcia (@PaulGarciaNBA) February 14, 2017

The Spurs shot 36.8% from the field, and 25% from beyond the arc (Very similar to their shooting percentages against the Knicks Sunday). All five Spurs starters had a +/- below zero.

The Magic, on the other hand, shot 45.3% from the field, and 40% from beyond the arc. All five starters had a +/- over 10.

This time around, the Magic will be without Ibaka, and the Spurs will be without Pau Gasol.

However, this will be the Magic’s first game without Ibaka. Despite him not being a “fit,” Ibaka was averaging 15.1 points per game, tied for his highest total of his career.

Tony Parker now has 200+ assists in all 16 seasons he's played. Only 5 players ever with more: Payton, Malone, Abdul-Jabbar, Kidd, Stockton

— Jordan Howenstine (@AirlessJordan) February 14, 2017

Without Ibaka, the Magic will have to rely on a plethora of role players to contribute on a nightly basis. With that game plan, some nights will go your way, and some nights won’t.