 |
 |
|
| 0-0 | 0-1 | |
| Amway Arena | ||
| 7:00 PM | ||
| Probable starters: | ||
| Raymond Felton | PG | Jameer Nelson |
| Jason Richardson | SG |
|
| Gerald Wallace | SF |
|
| Emeka Okafor | PF |
|
| Ryan Hollins | C |
|
UPDATE: Big props to John Denton of Florida Today, who reports that Adonal Foyle and J.J. Redick will start tonight for the Magic. I've updated the Probable Starters box above to reflect these lineup changes.
25 words or fewer: The Magic will look to rebound from Monday's loss against Atlanta by taking on the Charlotte Bobcats, who will be opening their preseason schedule.
Know your enemy: The Bobcats, like the Magic, made significant personnel changes this summer: They obtained high-scoring swingman Jason Richardson from Golden State on draft night and they hired first-year head coach Sam Vincent. Tonight's game will mark their first chance to see how well Richardson plays with franchise cornerstones Gerald Wallace and Emeka Okafor, and how the Bobcats adapt to the faster-paced style that Vincent wants to play.
Useless information: The Bobcats defeated the Magic for their first-ever win, 111-110, on November 6th, 2004. Primoz Brezec lead Charlotte with 20 points, and Cuttino Mobley paced the Magic with 23. Pat Garrity scored 6 points on 1-of-10 shooting. Way to go, Pat!
Bullet points:
- Tonight's game will not be televised, but the radio broadcast will be available for free at NBA.com by signing up for NBA Audio League Pass. All you have to do is create an NBA.com account, which only takes a minute. Dennis Neumann and Richie Adubato have the call for the Magic.
I really have no idea who will start at shooting guard for the Magic. Keith Bogans got the nod on Monday night, but was benched after failing to get back on defense. As a result, J.J. Redick played starters' minutes. There's a chance that Stan Van Gundy will give Bogans another chance to start, especially after his strong performance in camp last week, but it's also possible that Van Gundy will give Redick another look.- We might get a chance to see Kevin Kruger tonight. Kruger, a 6'2" guard from UNLV, played well on the Magic's summer-league team and shot a blistering 45.5% from three-point land. He did not play Monday night.
- With the shooting guard position so wide-open, it's also possible that Torrell Martin -- and his great hair -- will get more playing time. He played just 4 minutes on Monday, but did score the game's final basket with a putback dunk on Carlos Arroyo's errant game-tying three-point attempt. You can watch it in this YouTube clip to which I linked yesterday. That said, Martin's chances of making the team are very slim, as the Magic's top priority is signing another big-man.
