Efficient Fournier lifts Magic over Spurs 114-87
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - Evan Fournier scored an efficient 25 points and the Orlando Magic handed the San Antonio Spurs their first loss, 114-87 on Friday night.
Fournier made 10 of 12 shots, including all four of his 3-point tries.
It was the third straight win for the Magic, who got 17 points from Jonathon Simmons, 16 from Aaron Gordon and 15 from Nikolai Vucevic. Orlando shot 57.1 percent while limiting the Spurs to 33.7 percent.
San Antonio lost for the first time in five games, and it wasn't close. Orlando led by 14 after the first quarter, 27 points at halftime and by 36 points during the second half.
LaMarcus Aldridge had 24 points and 11 rebounds for San Antonio. Patty Mills added 12 points, and Pau Gasol scored 12 points with 11 rebounds.
The Magic pushed the pace the whole game, and especially in the first half. The quick tempo led to wide-open looks all over the floor. Orlando scored half its points in the paint and hit 6 of 12 3-pointers en route to 61-34 halftime lead.
Aldridge was the only effective player for the Spurs on offense in the first half, hitting 5 of 9 shots and scoring 12 points. The rest of the team combined for 7-of-35 shooting, and no other Spur had more than four points at the break.
The second half was more of the same as San Antonio simply couldn't keep pace. Fournier, Gordon and Vucevic constantly beat their opponents down the floor, creating easy shots for themselves and teammates. Orlando had 22 assists in the game, 19 of them in the first three periods.
Fournier completed a four-point play to put the Magic up 86-50 with 3:17 left in the third period.
Orlando emptied its bench to start the fourth quarter, and San Antonio soon followed suit.
TIP-INS
Spurs: Coach Gregg Popovich still needs one win to tie Phil Jackson for sixth on the career coaching wins list. Popovich is at 1,154. ... San Antonio shot 27.3 percent in the first half, including 2 of 13 from beyond the arc. ... Aldridge has scored 20 or more points in every game. ... Only one other opponent, Miami, had scored 100 points on the Spurs this season.
Magic: Orlando is shooting 49 percent from the field this season, compared to 44 percent last season. ... Gordon had a career-high 41 points in the last game and has hit 21 of 29 shots in his last two games. ... Orlando is 3-0 at home this season. ... The Magic hadn't beaten the Spurs in Orlando since 2010.
UP NEXT
Spurs: At Indiana on Sunday.
Magic: At Charlotte on Sunday night. The Magic have lost seven straight to the Hornets.
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