Magic Defeat Spurs, Team Suffers 2nd Loss to Open Rodeo Road Trip
ORLANDO - The San Antonio Spurs annual Rodeo Road trip is off to a tough start with the team losing its second game to open the trip against the Orlando Magic 127-111.
One night after competing with the Miami Heat for three quarters before collapsing, San Antonio seemingly never had a chance in Orlando.
Franz Wagner of the Orlando Magic proved to be a dominant scorer against the San Antonio Spurs.
USA Today
It was all Magic from tipoff, with the team never trailing against the Spurs. A large part of why Orlando was able to beat San Antonio was because of a crushing 19-4 run to close the first half, giving the Magic a 17-point lead at the break.
The Spurs simply didn't have an answer for the scoring output of Orlando's young stars Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, who shot 5-7 and 6-8, respectively, in the first half for 12 and 15 points.
As for San Antonio, the first half concluded without a single player scoring more than eight points and an unfortunate lowlight for No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama, who was blocked by Magic forward Jonathan Isaac.
It would only get worse in the second half for the team, with Orlando continuing to pull away on the scoreboard and attack the paint; the second of Wembanyama's lowlight would come on defense with the sensational shot blocker getting dunked on by Magic center Mo Wagner.
Despite some ugly moments, Wembanyama would finish the game second on the team in scoring with 15 points, only behind Devin Vassell’s 30 points.
It just didn't seem to be San Antonio's night as even the Magic's bench was able to get buckets at will, outscoring the Spurs by double digits.
Next up for San Antonio is the Brooklyn Nets (20-30) on Saturday at 5 p.m. CT, when the team will attempt to right the ship in the midst of a six-game losing streak.
