Spurs vs. Magic: Full Squad Back (We Think)!
Unless you’re a big Austin Daye fan, we are finally about to see the San Antonio Spurs roster we all thought we were getting when Aron Baynes was the last Spur re-signed in the summer. The season is more than halfway over and the Spurs finally have a fully healthy roster. According to the San Antonio Express News’ Mike Monroe, Marco Belinelli is expected to return to the lineup tonight when the Spurs host the Orlando Magic.
As Monroe points out, Belinelli has been out the last 11 games, nearly all of January. The last time he played was January 9 in a 100-95 victory over the Phoenix Suns. That game, he started in place of Kawhi Leonard. If I’ve done the math right looking at Basketball Reference’s database, the Spurs have used 23 different starting line ups in 48 games so far this season. The fact that they’ve won 30 of their first 48 is a modern miracle. Belinelli’s injury was really a minor bump in the road compared to the season’s earlier injuries, but his return to the line up makes the Spurs a little less small and it means Manu Ginobili and Danny Green’s legs get more rest, which is important since they’re five days from the start of the Rodeo Road Trip.
As for the game at hand, the Spurs come into it coming off an embarrassing loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. The Spurs looked slow and disinterested compared to a Clippers team that looked determined not to drop two in a row after falling to a Unibrow-less Pelicans club the night before. In the Monroe piece referenced above, Coach Popovich did say the team was actually able to get a couple of practices in during this downtime, which is a rarity during an NBA season. They face a Magic team that looks young and disjointed. It also features Pop protege Jacques Vaughn coaching for the magic and he is seemingly sitting on the hottest hot seat ever thrown on a hot plate. For his part, Pop has come to Vaughn’s defense, but a blowout tonight (the line is Magic +13) could be all Magic management need to cut Vaughn loose. So get ready for the “Spurs lost this on purpose for Jacques” tweets if the Spurs lose. Enjoy seeing #fullsquad and definitely have fun watching some of these young guys the Magic have. Aaron Gordon is sure to have a cool dunk. Tip-off from the AT&T Center is set for 7:30. Find it on Fox Sports Southwest.
