The Orlando Magic plays its second preseason game on Wednesday, Oct. 5 as the team visits reigning NBA champions Cleveland Cavaliers at the Quicken Loans Arena.
Start Time and Streaming Info
The game starts at 7:00 p.m. ET. It can be viewed live online thru the NBA League Pass.
Preview
Orlando opened the 2016-2017 NBA Preseason Games with a 102-97 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday at the FedExForum.
The Magic both started centers Nikola Vucevic and Bismack Biyombo after offseason rumors suggested that the two will likely compete for starter minutes in the upcoming regular season. The two big men are still finding their chemistry, but it is a good sign that they showed they can play well together in the 23 minutes they had alongside one another during the game.
French shooting guard Evan Fournier topscored for head coach Frank Vogel's squad with 18 points, indicating that he is an able replacement for Victor Olapido, who was included in the trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder that sent Serge Ibaka to the Magic.
Ibaka did not play against Memphis and will most likely be the starting power forward in the regular season with either Vucevic or Biyombo going back to the bench.
Meanwhile, it would be the preseason-opener for the defending champs. The starters, led by LeBron James, is expected to play limited minutes not only to preserve them for the season but also to test the team's bench play.
Things are looking thin with regards to the Cavaliers bench after Mo Williams decided to retire. The Cavs has still not signed shooting guard JR Smith and so Iman Shumpert, rookie point guard Kay Felder, third-year backup guards Jordan McRae and Markel Brown, and recent signing Toney Douglas are the only guards available at the moment behind Kyrie Irving.
Up front, Tristan Thompson, Chris Andersen, Kevin Love, and Channing Frye are back with James, Mike Dunleavy and Richard Jefferson at the wings. Former Sun Cory Jefferson and undrafted players Eric Moreland and John Holland will also get their chance to showcase their skills.
Prediction
Head coach Tyronn Lue is expected to take it easy in this preseason matchup and would focus on experimenting several combinations in utilizing the bench more. The Magic are predicted to secure their first win in the preseason.