The New Orleans Pelicans (1-4) and Orlando Magic (1-5) will both try to end their respective 2016-2017 NBA Preseason Games campaigns on a high note as they face each other at the Amway Center on Thursday, Oct. 20.
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
New Orleans is not having a successful preseason at the moment in terms of collecting wins. The team has lost four-straight games since they won their preseason-opener against the Dallas Mavericks on Oct. 1.
Anthony Davis remained as a steady fixture for head coach Alvin Gentry's squad despite playing in only limited minutes in the Pelicans' first four preseason games. He missed the latest one, a 96-89 loss to Atlanta on the road at the Philips Arena, as the coach decided to rest his main man for the start of the regular season next week.
However, at this point, Gentry has still not decided on which starting five will he utilize in the upcoming regular season.
Gentry rotated E'Twaun Moore, Langston Galloway, Tim Frazier, and rookie Buddy Hield to start at the backcourt all preseason, but the coach seemed to be preferring the Moore, Frazier combination. He used the duo three times in five games as starters, including their back-to-back meetings with the Houston Rockets in China.
The starting center spot is also still up for grabs between veterans Omer Asik and Alexis Ajinca. Gentry recently disclosed that his decision will depend on who their opponents will be on a particular night and so it is expected that the two big men will share the role this coming season.
Meanwhile, the Magic has also struggled in the preseason as the team was only able to win one game in six tries so far.
However, the team has seen solid games from newly-acquired big men Bismack Biyombo and Serge Ibaka, which is a good sign for Orlando moving forward. The other big man, Nikola Vucevic, seems to be struggling to produce his usual numbers, which is something that head coach Frank Vogel will expectedly look into once the regular season begins.
Shooting guard Evan Fournier was a revelation throughout the preseason as he proved to be the ideal replacement for Victor Oladipo in the wings. He led the team in scoring during the preseason with an average of 16.8 points per game.
Prediction
A close win for Orlando at their home court is predicted, although both sides are expected to rest their main players for the real battles beginning next week.
