Monday, December 5, 2016

Ibaka's 18 points help Magic upend sloppy Spurs 95-83

SAN ANTONIO -- All of Orlando's early season struggles were forgotten in one charmed night.
Serge Ibaka had 18 points and the Magic took advantage of a sloppy game by San Antonio, winning 95-83 on Tuesday to snap the Spurs' nine-game winning streak.
"We scratched and clawed, that's what we needed to do," Orlando coach Frank Vogel said. "We're a desperate team. We needed a win and we needed to play with that kind of desperation."
San Antonio committed a season-high 19 turnovers in its worst scoring performance of the season. The Spurs have four home losses in the first two months of this season after falling just once at AT&T Center in 2015-16.
"They played very well," San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. "I thought their defense was really solid, and I thought it put us on our heels most of the game."
Orlando entered having lost eight of 11, but they were looser and more fluid than San Antonio from the start.
The Magic's Aaron Gordon and Bismack Biyombo even fell to the court laughing after colliding while simultaneously attempting and failing to throw down a dunk off an alley-oop pass from D.J. Augustin in the third quarter.
It was one of the few missteps in Orlando's first victory in 11 games against San Antonio.
"Frank is a great coach, he's a very positive guy and believes in us wholeheartedly," Gordon said. "When you have that backing, you feel that you are capable. Tonight, we came out and we put the pieces together for a full game and it's a beautiful thing."
The Magic shot 45 percent from the field and were 6 for 15 on 3-pointers in snapping a four-game skid.
Evan Fournier scored 13 points and Nikola Vucevic had 12, but it was on the defensive end that Orlando shined.
San Antonio backed up a lethargic first half with an even more anemic third quarter. The Spurs shot 6 for 19 in the third, turning the ball over four times while being outscored 30-21.
"The ball is not moving," San Antonio guard Manu Ginobili said. "We're forcing the issue too much. We're kind of stuck. So, hopefully we get the ball moving better and sharper."
The Spurs' turnovers resulted in 19 points for the Magic.
"We were denying," Gordon said. "We were taking the Spurs out of their rhythm offensively and making them look for second and third and fourth options. When you do that the whole night, that wears on a team."
San Antonio's backcourt of Tony Parker and Danny Green combined to shoot 1 for 10 with five turnovers and four points.
Kawhi Leonard had 21 points to lead the Spurs and LaMarcus Aldridge added 16.
After going with its twin towers of Aldridge and Pau Gasol to start the game, San Antonio went with a smaller lineup in the second half. Neither option worked well.
"We had to win both halves two very different ways," Voegel said. "They went big in the first half and we had to match their bigs and keep them off the glass and then they went small in the second half and then with an ultra-small lineup with four guards and a big and Serge has that versatility to still guard perimeter players while we stayed with who we are."
Ibaka finished with seven rebounds and a blocked shot.
TIP-INS
Magic: The Magic's last victory against the Spurs was Dec. 23, 2010, when they upended San Antonio 123-101 in Orlando. ... The Magic are undefeated in three games against the Southwest Division this season. ... Orlando has made at least one 3-pointer in 756 straight games, the fifth longest streak in league history. ... The Magic have three losing streaks of at least three games through 18 contests this season.
Spurs: The Spurs observed a moment of silence prior to the game for the Brazilian soccer club Chapecoense and other passengers killed when a plane crashed into a Colombian hillside Monday night. ... San Antonio got its first loss in eight games with its projected starting lineup of Leonard, Aldridge, Gasol, Parker and Green. ... Dewayne Dedmon returned after missing six straight games with a sprained left knee. Dedmon had six points and eight rebounds in 16 minutes. ... Gasol has played in 1,073 career games, moving past Hall of Famer Michael Jordan for 79th on the career list.
ROAD WARRIORS
While San Antonio has lost four games at home, they have yet to lose on the road this season, which puzzles the Spurs.
"It is hard to explain, even for us players who are on the floor competing," Gasol said. "It is not like we are trying to lose games at home and go on the road and get all of them."
San Antonio can become the third team in league history to open a season with 11 straight road wins with a victory Wednesday at Dallas.

The Spurs have won 10 straight road games, matching the start by the Boston Celtics in 1961 and 1962. Golden State holds the league mark with 14 straight road victories to open last season and the New York Knicks won 12 straight in 1970.
I'M FINE
Orlando guard Elfrid Payton said he is "great" after injuring his right ankle by landing on teammate C.J. Watson's foot with 7:40 left in the final quarter. Payton exited and got X-rays following the game but said he was fine after returning to the locker room without any noticeable limp.
UP NEXT
Magic: At Memphis on Thursday night.
Spurs: At Dallas on Wednesday night.
Check out the team sites for the Orlando Magic and the San Antonio Spurs for more game coverage.

Game 2

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