Extreme disappointment.
Magic fall apart late, blow lead vs. Spurs
That’s how the Orlando Magic ended the pre-All-Star break portion of the schedule. The 98-96 loss to the Spurs was like so many of their preceding games, too.
The Orlando Magic’s final game before the All-Star break followed the same script as so many others that preceded it. It ended in heartbreak. The Magic allowed a 14-point lead early in the fourth quarter to slip away and lost to the San Antonio Spurs 98-96 at Amway Center.
“It would have been great for the momentum, especially against the Spurs,” Magic swingman Evan Fournier said. “It would have been great. Very disappointing.”
The final seconds ticked away in pulse-pounding fashion.
Fournier made a 3-pointer from the left corner to tie the score 96-96 with 13.3 seconds to go.
On the Spurs’ ensuing possession, Kawhi Leonard made a 19-foot jumper over Aaron Gordon’s outstretched hand to break the tie with 0.9 seconds left.
“I thought I had him covered well enough,” Gordon said. “I practically gave him a high five, and it went in. There was nothing you could really do about it.”
Even then, with nine-tenths of a second remaining, the Magic had one more chance to tie the game.
Fournier grabbed the ball, spotted Elfrid Payton sprinting behind the Spurs’ defense and then inbounded the ball to Payton.
Payton let the ball bounce, collected it and then attempted a reverse layup before the final buzzer.
He missed the shot, prompting the announced crowd of
17,467 people inside the arena to unleash a collective groan.
“It slipped out of my hand,” Payton said. “I’ve got to make that shot. I make that shot all the time. I’ve just got to make it.”
It was a frustrating ending to a game that started with so much promise.
The Magic (23-29) entered the night with some momentum after hardfought victories over the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday and Monday.
A win over the mighty Spurs (45-8) would’ve sent the Magic into the break into a high note.
But the ending resembled many other endings so far this season. Orlando simply couldn’t hold onto a lead against a better team with much more experience and star-quality players.
No one shined brighter than Leonard, who finished with a game-high 29 points on 12 - o f-19 shooting.
Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge led the comeback.
The Spurs outscored the Magic 31-17 during the final period.
“We could feel the Spurs picking it up, and we didn’t react real well to it,” Orlando coach Scott Skiles said. “We started kind of throwing away the ball. We just kind of became casual, and they took advantage of it.”
Perhaps many plays down the stretch upset Skiles, but during his postgame comments, he recounted how Leonard attempted an uncontested elbow jumper with Orlando clinging to a three-point lead with 1:50 to go.
Leonard missed the shot, and the ball landed between a pair of Magic players. Meanwhile, the Spurs’ Patty Mills gathered the rebound. Seconds later, Aldridge drew a foul on Nik Vucevic, and Aldridge made both free throws.
Too often, the Magic failed to make little plays that, in total, were the difference between a signature win over the Spurs and yet another frustrat- ing loss.
“Coach talked about it: those little, winning plays that you have to make at the end of the game to close out games,” Vucevic said. “There were a lot of those even tonight that we didn’t make, and it’s tough. We have to do it. That’s the only way we’ll be consistent in this league.”
The Magic wasted a 28-point night by Fournier and 20 points, 13 rebounds and five assists by Vucevic.
With Orlando clinging to a 91-88 lead with 3:10 remaining, Fournier sent a lob toward the hoop. The pass looked off-target, but Vucevic tipped the ball into the basket with his right hand.
At that moment, it looked like the Magic would enter the All-Star break riding high.
But the 93-88 lead didn’t last long.
“That’s a tough one to drop,” Gordon said. “We definitely had that one. We gave it away.”