National Basketball Association
Orlando 95, San Antonio 83
When: 8:30 PM ET, Tuesday, November 29, 2016
Where: AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas
Officials:
#33 Sean Corbin, #45 Brian Forte, #21 Dedric Taylor
Attendance:
18418
By The Sports Xchange
SAN ANTONIO -- Serge Ibaka scored 18 points and Nikola Vucevic added 12 points and 10 rebounds off the bench as the Orlando Magic stunned the San Antonio Spurs 95-83 on Tuesday at AT&T Center, snapping a four-game losing streak.
Evan Fournier added 13 points, Aaron Gordon scored 11 and Efrid Payton 10 as the Magic (7-11) snapped a 10-game losing streak to San Antonio that dated back to a 123-101 loss in Orlando on Dec, 23, 2010.
"Winning this night doesn't turn our season around, but it keeps us believing in what we're doing," Magic coach Frank Vogel said. "If you commit to the defensive end, you're going to have a chance to win every night. Our early losses have hurt, but this is a big win tonight."
San Antonio missed seven straight shots from the field and went scoreless for about four minutes in the fourth quarter to derail any chance at a comeback. The Spurs shot just 36.8 percent, made only 5 of 20 3-pointers, committed a season-high 18 turnovers and scored their fewest points this season.
The Spurs' Kawhi Leonard led all scorers with 21 points, while LaMarcus Aldridge hit for 16 points and Manu Ginobili added 13 for San Antonio (14-4), which lost for the first time in 10 games. All four of the Spurs' defeats this season have been at home.
Spurs forward Pau Gasol said he's surprised that his team continues to struggle at home.
"It's hard to explain even for us players who are on the floor competing," Gasol said. "It's not like we are trying to lose games at home and go on the road and get all of them. Tonight we just weren't making enough shots and plays for us to get going."
San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich removed all five starters at the 8:31 mark of the first quarter, and the second unit provided a needed boost. A 9-2 run capped by a 3-pointer by Patty Mills pushed the Spurs to a 20-16 lead at the end of the period.
The second quarter featured a wild finish. Ginobili's 3-pointer with 1:22 to play pushed the Spurs back ahead 38-37, but a 3-pointer by Ibaka and a layup by Jeff Green after a steal and feed by D.J. Augustin landed the Magic back on top -- albeit for only a few seconds.
Aldridge canned a 3-pointer for San Antonio on the ensuing trip down the floor, but Fournier answered with a basket from beyond the arc at the buzzer to hand Orlando a 45-43 lead at intermission.
Aldridge led all scorers with 10 points in the first half while Ibaka's nine points and five rebounds paced the Magic.
San Antonio was uncharacteristically ragged on the offensive end throughout the game, and that was exemplified by a stretch late in the third quarter when the Spurs turned the ball over on three consecutive possessions as Orlando stretched its lead to 73-62. The Magic pushed that advantage to 75-64 heading into the final quarter.
"The tenacity and urgency were there tonight and we were really locked in," Gordon said. "We are starting to understand our roles better as the season goes on. I think this is something we can do every night. Coach says 'defense travels,' and tonight it did."
San Antonio trailed 77-65 at the 9:56 mark before an alley-oop dunk by Aldridge off a steal and an assist by Mills and a three-point play from Leonard cut the deficit to 77-70. But Ibaka's jumper ended the short run, and Jeff Green re-established an 11-point advantage for the Magic, forcing the Spurs into desperation mode in the end game.
"Orlando played very well," Popovich said. "Their defense was really solid and it put us on our heels most of the game. We held the ball a lot because of their defense, and they made shots. They just played better."
NOTES: Magic G Evan Fournier and Spurs G Tony Parker are members of the France National Team. ... Orlando assistant coach Chad Forcier spent nine seasons with San Antonio (2007-16) as an assistant coach under Gregg Popovich. ... In San Antonio's 112-100 victory on Nov. 26 at Washington, Parker scored his 18,000th career point to become the only active player besides LeBron James to log at least 18,000 points and 6,000 assists. ... Orlando has players from six countries (United States, France, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, Croatia and Montenegro) who speak a combined eight languages. ... Tuesday's game was the first of five straight road contests for the Magic on an eight-day trip in which Orlando also plays in Memphis, Philadelphia, Detroit and Washington.
Top Game Performances
Orlando |
|
San Antonio |
Serge Ibaka 18 |
Scoring |
Kawhi Leonard 21 |
Evan Fournier 7 |
Assists |
LaMarcus Aldridge 3 |
Nikola Vucevic 10 |
Rebounds |
Dewayne Dedmon 8 |
Evan Fournier 4 |
Free Throws Made |
Kawhi Leonard 8 |
Elfrid Payton 3 |
Steals |
Manu Ginobili 2 |
Bismack Biyombo 1 |
Blocks |
Dewayne Dedmon 2 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
Orlando
|
95 |
45.3 |
6-15 |
11-12 |
25 |
40 |
4 |
12 |
13 |
San Antonio
|
83 |
36.8 |
5-20 |
22-26 |
19 |
45 |
4 |
9 |
19 |
Upcoming Games
-
San Antonio will play their next game on the road against Dallas. The Spurs have a W/L % of .800 after a win and .667 after a loss.
-
Orlando will play their next game on the road against Memphis. The Magic have a W/L % of .429 after a win and .364 after a loss.