Game Thread: Magic vs. Spurs, Will Gregg Popovich learn who Mo Bamba is?

After shootaround in Orlando on Friday, Gregg Popovich was asked about Mo Bamba.

But the often short-fused and highly sarcastic coach essentially played it off as if he had never heard of the Magic rookie.

“I don’t watch any film,” Popovich told the Orlando Sentinel. “I have enough to do with my own team, so to try to deal with Orlando, there’s not enough time in the day for my own team. It’s true. I’m not trying to be a wise guy.”

Sorry, Pop. Not buying it.

Popovich doesn’t offer much to the media during the regular season, so imagine his thoughts during a pregame media availability for a preseason game. It’s silly to think Popovich wouldn’t at least be somewhat familiar with a lottery pick who played college basketball in the same state as San Antonio. But hopefully formal introductions are made on Friday night as the Magic take on the Spurs in their preseason finale.

Gregg meet Mo, Mo meet Gregg.

Bamba was unable to play in the Magic’s 102-86 win over the Grizzlies on Wednesday because of a bruised right wrist. Josh Robbins of The Athletic reported that Bamba is likely to play against the Spurs.

So maybe Bamba will give Popovich a little something to remember him by.

Jonathan Isaac returned to the court against the Grizzlies after missing two games because of a sprained ankle. He posted 15 points on 4-for-5 shooting, hitting both of his three-point attempts, and grabbed eight rebounds in 11 minutes. Should Bamba be able to join Isaac in the lineup on Friday, it will mark the first time that the Magic’s previous two lottery picks have been on the court together this preseason.

“It’s just a lot of length, and Mo can move and I can move and we can block shots at the rim,” Isaac told John Denton of OrlandoMagic.com. “A couple of times when we did play together in scrimmages, we did block a lot of shots. It’s just about that length and him being able to step out and hit shots and me as well.”

It’s the last warm-up before the games start to count. The game won’t be televised but you can follow along on the Fox Sports app or on 96.9 The Game.

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