Despite Weather and Travel Disruptions, the Spurs Controlled the Second Half in a Win Over Orlando
The Spurs rebounded from Saturday’s road loss to the Hornets defeating the Orlando Magic 112-103 last night at the Frost Bank Center.
Sunday’s home contest was initially set to tipoff at 3pm, however the NBA anticipated weather would be an issue Saturday. With the team unable to leave Charlotte immediately after the 111-106 loss due to a winter storm, the league initially pushed the game time back from 3 p.m. ET to 6 p.m. ET. The team’s travel woes didn’t end there. As a result of a minor equipment issue with their plane out of Charlotte, the team was forced to stop in Atlanta so it could switch to a new plane. That unexpected delay forced the league to push back the game’s start time to 9 p.m. ET.
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Despite the travel upheaval the Silver and Black arrived at the Frost Bank Center with business on their minds. The squad jumped on the Magic from the tip and led by as many as 18 in the first half. The Magic however would not go away without a fight as they closed the half up one 61-60. It wasn’t enough as the Spurs regained the lead after halftime 62-61 on a Julian Champagnie free throw and never relinquished it.
V-Dub led the Spurs with 25 points, eight rebounds and five blocks. He was literally cleared to play a half hour before tipoff after being questionable due to left calf soreness.
Devin Vassell added 16 points for the Silver and Black while Dylan Harper followed up a strong 20 point performance one day prior, scoring 15 points. De’Aaron Fox had 14 points and 10 assists in the win.
Desmond Bane scored 25 points to lead the Magic, and Paolo Banchero had 19 points and 10 rebounds in the losing effort. The loss snapped Orlando’s two game winning streak.
The team got a little help from the Thunder last night as well as they defeated the Denver Nuggets in Denver 121-111. As a result the Spurs move back into a statistical tie with Denver (33-16) and a share of the second place spot in the West. With the Rodeo Road Trip on the horizon the Spurs have very little room for error if they want to remain amongst the top teams in the conference.
Stephon Castle missed the game with left adductor tightness.
Up Next:
Vs Oklahoma City (39-11), Wednesday, 2/4 @ 830pm | ESPN
