. It's the lineup we mostly ended games with last year and it's the lineup we are comfortable with.'' DeMar DeRozan scored 21 for the Spurs, who shot 50.6 percent from the field but gave up 64 points in the second half and were outrebounded 48-41.''I think the difference in the game was we gave up too many offensive rebounds (14),'' DeRozan said. ''We couldn't get the rebounds when it counted and they did. They executed on those, and other than that it was a one-possession game.'' A flagrant foul call helped the Magic maintain their lead in the final seconds.After Trey Lyles' 3-pointer cut Orlando's advantage to 107-106 with 18 seconds left, Gordon drew a foul on DeRozan with 13.9 seconds remaining that was upgraded to a flagrant after a replay review. Gordon made the free throws and the Magic kept the ball, enabling Vucevic to add another foul shot for a four-point edge.A 3-pointer by Bryn Forbes with 4:17 left in the second quarter put San Antonio up 50-34, the largest lead for either team.The Spurs shot 53 percent in the first half and led 56-47 at halftime.Orlando ran off 12 straight points early in the third quarter and took a 69-66 lead on a 3 by Fournier.Patty Mills and Jakob Poeltl provided points off the bench to pull the Spurs back ahead. They went up 99-92 when LaMarcus Aldridge hit a 3 with 4:42 left.TIP-INSSpurs: Dejounte Murray played 21 minutes but will sit out Saturday night against Portland, part of the plan for his recovery from knee surgery a year ago. ... Aldridge missed all six of his shots in the first half. ... The Spurs have given up 122 points per game during their losing streak.Magic: F Jonathan Isaac did not play after rolling his right ankle Thursday night during the unveiling of the Magic's City-Edition uniforms at Disney World. ''We were taking pictures, just shooting around and I got a little careless,'' said Isaac, the first Orlando starter to miss a game this season. He hopes to play Sunday against Washington. ... F Al-Farouq Aminu grabbed 13 rebounds in his first start for the Magic. ... G Michael Carter-Williams was called for three fouls in 13 seconds late in the first quarter. ... Vucevic shot 4 for 16.INJURIES HPENMagic coach Steve Clifford on Isaac's bizarre injury: ''People always say I shouldn't leave guys in at the end of the game when we have a 12-point lead because somebody might get hurt. Hey, somebody could get hurt walking down the hall. It happens all the time.'' UP NEXTSpurs: Host the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday night.Magic: Host the Washington Wizards on Sunday night.---More NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/-Sports)
Nov 14, 2019The Orlando Magic have played better of late but will face another tough test to maintain momentum when they host the slumping San Antonio Spurs on Friday.If there's any good time to play the Spurs, it might be during this stretch when they are struggling on defense.The Magic won for the second time in a week and just the fourth time this season Wednesday when Nikola Vucevic scored 25 points to lead seven Orlando players in double figures in a 112-97 home victory.Aaron Gordon had 18 points and 13 rebounds, Evan Fournier and Terrence Ross each had 13 points and D. J. Augustin had 12 points and eight assists off the bench.Jonathan Isaac also had 12 points and Michael Carter-Williams had 11 for the Magic, who improved to 4-3 at home this season. Vucevic also grabbed 12 rebounds for his eighth double-double of the season."It was definitely a big win for us," Carter-Williams said. "To get back in the win column the way we did, playing defense, sharing the ball. Everybody involved was big for us, and we want to build on that." Augustin played the entire fourth quarter, in which the Magic outscored the 76ers by a decisive 32-15 margin."We know we needed this win tonight in the worst way, and guys had the same attitude on the floor and it showed," Augustin told the Orlando Sentinel.Meanwhile, the Spurs lost their third straight, producing another lukewarm performance in a 129-114 defeat Wednesday at Minnesota. San Antonio will play five of its next six games on the road.It was third time in 11 games this season that San Antonio allowed an opponent 120 or more points."I think we're very challenged defensively," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "Another poor outing defensively, and that's where we're at. There's not much more to say." DeMar DeRozan led the team with 27 points and LaMarcus Aldridge added 23 points for San Antonio, which finished just 3 for 17 from beyond the arc.Bryn Forbes had 13, Dejounte Murray scored 11, and Patty Mills and Rudy Gay pumped in 10 points apiece in the loss for the Spurs, who have lost five of their last six games."Nobody wants to lose, but I'd rather that we have these mistakes now," DeRozan said. "We have plenty of time to clean it up. I know for a fact that we definitely will." Speaking of DeRozan, there are reports circulating the league that Orlando has expressed interest in trading for the former All-Star, who's believed to be seeking a max contract extension this summer.San Antonio owns a 43-18 edge in the all-time series, but 12 of those wins by the Magic have come at home. The Spurs earned their largest win over Orlando in franchise history on Dec. 19, 2018, defeating the Magic 129-90 at the Amway Center.--Field Level Media
Looking for More Picks?
You can browse all the individual handicapper picks below.
San Antonio Spurs
Orlando Magic
Pick Center
NBA
FINAL (11/15/2019)
LegendNextDoor
