Spurs Show Growth, But Blow Lead in Preseason Loss to Magic

The San Antonio Spurs jumped out to a 19-point lead in the first half, but the young talent of the Orlando Magic ultimately proved to be too much.

Nothing went right for the San Antonio Spurs in their preseason opener against the Houston Rockets on Sunday. A 134-96 loss left the Spurs grasping for positives.

But one of the positive takeaways was that there was only room for improvement. The Spurs certainly showed this against the Orlando Magic and the No. 1 overall pick Paolo Banchero Thursday night at the AT&T Center, but it wasn't enough in a 102-99 loss, as San Antonio now drops to 0-2 in preseason action.

A 15-6 run by the Magic was ultimately the difference in the closing minutes. 

Orlando was led by big man Wendell Carter Jr. (20 points, 10 rebounds) and second-year forward Franz Wagner (12 points) while Spurs' forward Doug McDermott led the team with 14 points off the bench. Keita Bates-Diop led the starters with 12 points, including 4 of 4 from deep.

The Spurs jumped out to a 33-19 lead in the first quarter, as Josh Richardson had nine points to open things up. 

But the Magic put together a 12-0 run in the second quarter to cut San Antonio's lead to 45-38 right before half. A another 9-0 gave Orlando plenty of momentum headed into the locker room, as the Spurs led 52-49. 

Yet, it was the Spurs who took seize of momentum coming out of half, as San Antonio used five 3-pointers, including one apiece from rookies Malaki Branham and Jeremy Sochan. These two, along with fellow rookie Blake Wesley, all saw plenty of action on the court with one another in the third. 

However, it was the fourth quarter where the Magic took advantage of the sluggish Spurs. Orlando center Moritz Wagner scored all 10 of his points in the final period as the Magic closed things out. 

The Spurs will play their third preseason game on Sunday at home against the New Orleans Pelicans. 

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You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7

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