Suddenly hot Magic face skidding Spurs
The enigmatic Orlando Magic look to continue their burst of success when they host the San Antonio Spurs on Friday in both teams’ final game before Christmas.
The Magic have been one of the NBA’s hottest teams over the past two weeks. They have won seven of their last eight games, including a two-game sweep of Boston on the road, another two-game sweep over Toronto at home, and victories at home against the Los Angeles Clippers and Atlanta.
Orlando won three of four on its road trip, including a 116-110 victory in Houston on Wednesday, overcoming a 15-point deficit in the second half.
Franz Wagner scored 25 points, while Paolo Banchero added 23 points and 13 rebounds, Cole Anthony had 15 points, Moritz Wagner 12 and Markelle Fultz 11 for the Magic.
It was Banchero’s sixth double-double of the year, which is tied for the most among rookies, and his 20th game with 20 points is tops among them.
The hot streak for Orlando came after it had lost 20 of its first 25 games and endured a nine-game losing skid along the way.
The Magic’s comeback on Wednesday was aided by a switch to a zone defense and a never-say-die attitude.
Orlando could get Wendell Carter Jr. and Gary Harris back for Friday’s game. Carter has missed 17 straight games with a right foot injury, while Harris is nursing a right hamstring strain and has not played since Nov. 30. Both are listed as questionable.
Friday’s game is the second of a road back-to-back for the Spurs, who lost 126-117 in New Orleans on Thursday. San Antonio has lost three of its past four games and has split the first two on its three-game road trip.
The Spurs were down by 20 points after a ragged first quarter but clawed back to within eight points on two occasions in the fourth period before running out of gas. The 17 points were their fewest in an opening period this season.
Jeremy Sochan scored a career-high 23 points in the loss, with Tre Jones adding 19, Josh Richardson 14, Jakob Poeltl 13, Stanley Johnson 12 and Devin Vassell 10.
The Spurs played without leading scorer Keldon Johnson, who missed the game with right hamstring tightness.
