By Melissa Potes
EBC Florida Bureau
ORLANDO, FL (Eagle News) – Orlando Magic Head Coach, Steve Clifford, has been preaching the importance of defending their home court. However, in the Magic’s most recent home game against the San Antonio Spurs the team did not execute what Clifford preached.
The Magic were attempting to go for the season sweep against the Spurs as well as get to .500 and improve their current record of 14-15. However, the surging Spurs came into the game having won five of their last six games.
After winning two home games in Mexico City, the Magic returned to their “true” home stadium in Orlando, Florida. They haven’t played in Amway Center since their December 7 loss to the Indiana Pacers. The team was without their leading scorer, center Nikola Vucevic, who welcomed his first child on Monday, December 17.
The Magic put points on the board first with a 3-pointer from guard Evan Fournier. But the game would quickly turn in favor of the Spurs as the Magic were out-hustled and out-played with the first half ending with the Spurs on top by 22 points.
“If you give up 21-fast break points in one half, you’re going to lose no matter who you play,” said Coach Clifford. “They played great and we were terrible.”
In the second half, the Spurs controlled the tempo with uncontested shots in the paint as well as beyond the 3-point line. The Magic’s defense had no answers for the Spurs’ lights-out shooting, notching in a 64.9 field goal percentage with 63.2% on 3-point shots alone. San Antonio’s 129-90 victory, marked the Magic’s worst loss of the season and their second time being defeated over 30 points.
“Since we’ve got back, we haven’t had the practices we wanted. I thought they were good this
morning. There were no warning signs about playing like this. I thought we’d play well tonight,” said Clifford after the loss.
The Magic, along with Vucevic, hit the road again to play the Chicago Bulls on Friday before returning home Sunday to play the Miami Heat.
(Eagle News Service)
