The Magic Barely Hold on to Beat the Spurs

The Orlando Magic defeated the San Antonio Spurs 108-98 to advance to 25-23 on the season.

Too Close for Comfort

Orlando came out flat but found their magic as the game continued. The Magic outscored the Spurs 30-21 in the second quarter and 34-21 in quarter number three, cushioning themselves with a 91-72 lead heading into the final frame.

The Magic led comfortably until about seven minutes remained in the game. The Spurs proceeded to take the reins with a 15-0 run lasting until 2:41 in the fourth quarter. In the span of minutes, a methodical domination of the Spurs by the Magic evolved into a close game to be decided in the final minutes.

The Magic weathered the storm, going on a 9-2 run to close out the game. The Magic ever so slightly escaped with their 25th win of the season in a game much too close for comfort.

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Keys to Victory

The Magic capitalized on the injury plagued Spurs, who were missing Keldon Johnson and Zach Collins.

Orlando rallied on the back of its continuously outstanding Paulo Banchero. Banchero recorded a near triple-double with 25 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.  He also tallied on an impressive 50% shooting clip from the field, scoring a very efficient 25 points.

Franz Wagner was the only other 20-plus point scorer. Wagner put up 20 points, eight rebounds and five assists to help propel the team to victory.

The Magic outperformed the Spurs in almost every statistical category. Orlando dominated on the glass, led in assists by five and outshot the Spurs from every spot on the court. The Magic shot 82.6% from the charity stripe compared to the Spurs shooting just 70.6%. Orlando also bolstered 47.7% from the field and 35% from beyond the arc.

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Looking Ahead

The Magic continue their road trip in Minnesota on Friday to face off against the Timberwolves. The Timberwolves, coming of a dominant 121-87 win over the Dallas Mavericks, are 31-14 on the season.

Minnesota ranking atop the western conference marks the hottest start they’ve had to a season in over 20 years. The Wolves are led by Karl-Anthony Towns, who averages 22.7 points per game, 8.7 rebounds per game and 3.1 assists per game.

The Magic, sitting at eighth in the East, would have to come out on top of the play-in tournament to secure a spot in the playoffs if the season ended today.

You can catch the Magic play the T-wolves at 8 p.m. Friday on Bally Sports.