Nets’ Lopez expected to miss Magic game
Spurs coach was asked Wednesday night after his team dismantled the Magic if he felt sympathy for Vaughn, a former Spurs player and coach.
“Well, of course I do. As I just mentioned, no coach steps in anywhere and puts in a system with new players and new faces and gets everything right very quickly. It’s going to take time,” Popovich said. “It’s not two weeks or six weeks or three months. It takes a good long time to put that all together. But he has the discipline, the work ethic and the respect that he engenders with people that those qualities will get it done.”
Added Tim Duncan, “I think Jacque has been doing well. He is putting a team together and building a team. This is the first year, and he has this team, and it is going to
The Magic have become very acquainted with the Brooklyn Nets.
Not only did the franchise field several trade proposals from the Nets for Dwight Howard during the offseason, but the Magic will face the Nets for the third time this season Friday night, wrapping up their two home games in the four-game series.
Orlando is 0-2 against Brooklyn, with losses coming at home and away. The teams conclude their four-game series Jan. 28 in Brooklyn.
TheNets crushed the Magic107-68 onNov. 9 at Amway Center and fell 82-74 two days later at Barclays Center.
Brooklyn center Brook Lopez, the centerpiece in a proposed Howard trade, is expected to miss the game against the Magic and Saturday night’s game against the Miami Heat. Power forward Kris Humphries and small forward Gerald Wallace were involved in a brawl between the Nets and the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night. However, no Nets were suspended. Wallace was fined $35,000 for his role in the altercation.
Lopez sprained his troublesome right foot against the Celtics. He missed most of last season after sustaining two fractures to the foot.
Coach Jacque Vaughn doesn’t believe squaring off against the Nets on two previous occasions makes them any easier to play.
“I don’t think easier. It’s probably fresh in our coaches mind a little bit, what worked, what didn’t work,” he said. “But all those games are individually wrapped, so it could be an entirely different game than the previous two.” Pop sympathizes
Gregg Popovich take some time to build, and everybody [has] to understand what he is trying to do, night in and night out. It takes a long time to do that.”
Lack of free trips
The Magic’s problem of reaching the free-throw line continued against the Spurs. They shot just eight free throws (making five), and no starter got to the line.
The club ranks last in the NBA in fewest free-throw attempts per game (16.7) — a far cry from the days of Dwight, who was a constant presence at the line.
“We need some early attack,” Vaughn said. “Arron [ Afflalo] is really good at getting early attack, transition and getting buckets. We just missed shots at the beginning of the game. We go 2-for-15 from three and that produced us not getting to the free-throw line.
“There’s no secret we’re not throwing the ball into the post 20 times, so sometimes the game is producing those shots. Now, can we be more aggressive at times, maybe get a kick-out pass and try to drive it? Yeah, we can do that.”