Both of these games are early-season tests where one official game each is all we have, so the shape of that opener matters more than preseason noise. One side in each game is carrying a visible hole in its rotation, and the other side's style hits that hole directly.
In Orlando, the home team is missing its guard Anthony Black and three forwards. Its opener was a home loss in which it turned the ball over twenty times and allowed 132 points on 54 shots with 36 free throws against. Minnesota's defence lives on steals, with 11, 11 and 6 in its recent games, and its offence shoots a lot of threes. That is a direct collision with Orlando's thin ball handling and forward depth. Orlando's home scoring from Banchero and Wagner keeps it close, but its good form came mostly in preseason. That's why I'm siding with Minnesota to win.
In San Antonio, the Spurs lost their opener at home while shooting 10 of 37 from three, and they are without Tobias Harris, with Fox and Keldon Johnson questionable. Houston won its opener 128-110 without Steven Adams, on 16 made threes and 32 assists. The Spurs' size at the rim is real, but their creation and depth are the thinner side. That's why I'm siding with Houston to stay inside the points.
