The San Antonio Spurs and Phoenix Suns kick off their respective 2016-2017 NBA Preseason campaigns with a game on Monday, Oct. 3 at the Talking Stick Resort Arena.
Start Time and Streaming Info
The game starts at 10:00 p.m. ET. It can be viewed live online thru the NBA League Pass.
Preview
San Antonio has a lot of adjustments to do after NBA legend Tim Duncan's retirement at the end of last season. Power forward LaMarcus Aldridge is expected to further improve his game to somehow fill-in the huge shoes of the five-time NBA champion, two-time NBA MVP, and 15-time All-Star.
The Spurs have also acquired veteran big men Pau Gasol and David Lee, to boost their frontcourt.
While Duncan's career had ended, his two other Big Three friends, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili remained. Parker had recently announced his retirement from international competitions to focus more on the Spurs while Ginobili said this will be his career's final season as he also plans to retire next summer.
Kawhi Leonard, the 2014 NBA Finals MVP, is expected to lead the Spurs right now with Duncan gone and Parker and Ginobili aging.
However, the biggest change for the Spurs is perhaps off-the-court as the team lost at least 10 front office and coaching staff members in the summer. Some of these losses are assistant general managers Sean Marks, who transferred to the Brooklyn Nets, and Scott Layden and Brian Pauga who are now both with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Assistant coach Chad Forcier, who was recognized by head coach Gregg Popovich as the brains behind Leonard's development, had also moved to the Orlando Magic.
Meanwhile, the Suns are optimistic about improving their performance in 2016-2017 after getting disqualified from the playoffs for the sixth straight time last season. Under then head coach Jeff Hornacek, Phoenix finished 14th in the West with a dismal 23-59 slate.
Phoenix will parade a new head coach in Earl Watson, the team's former assistant.
The Suns currently have a loaded backcourt with Eric Bledsoe, Brandon Knight, and super sophomore Devin Booker in the roster. The summer acquisition of Leandro Barbosa further strengthens the backcourt lineup.
Prediction
It would be a systematic game for the Spurs as always as Popovich is projected to experiment on different lineups in preparation for the regular season. Parker and Ginobili are not expected to play that many minutes in this match. Watson will try to find his best guard combination in the postseason. A close win for the Spurs is predicted.