Dwight Howard scored a game-high 29 points and pulled down 14 rebounds as the Orlando Magic handled a thrilling 123-101, win over the San Antonio Spurs at Amway Centre in Orlando.
Almost 19,000 fans witnessed the sizzling moment when the home team snapped the Spurs' winning streak at 10 games.
It was Orlando’s first victory since acquiring Richardson, Gilbert Arenas, Hedo Turkoglu, and Earl Clark in two separate trades on 18 December 2010.
Brandon Bass and J. Redick posted 17 apiece in Magic's second win in their last 10 games. Jason Richardson registered 15 points and Gilbert Arenas contributed 14 point and 6 rebounds in the season’s seventeenth win of Orlando. Arenas also dished out a game-high
nine assists.
"I was coming just to get 100 up. But then there was a crowd out there. I was like, 'That's pressure. Now I got to go out there and shoot some more shots." Arenas said, laughing.
Tony Parker and Gary Neal scored 16 points each for the Spurs in the season’s only fourth defeat. Tim Duncan chipped in 12 points while Richard Jefferson, DeJuan Blair, Manu Ginobili, and Matt Bonner each scored 10 points in the defeat.
First quarter
The first aspect that jumps out about the first quarter is the pace. Orlando and Spurs began the game at a crisp pace, however the Orlando established a 2-point lead, 28-26 in the opening quarter.
Second quarter
The Spurs trailed 28-26 after the opening 12 minutes of the second quarter. Orlando shot 82.4 per cent from the field and widened the margin to 62-53 at the end of first half.
Third quarter
The Magic played the final stanza offensively and played some tenacious shots. In addition, Redick and Richardson were sinking 3-pointers with the clock running down and the Magic successfully pulled away 97-67 heading into the fourth quarter.
Fourth quarter
The Spurs fought hard in the final stanza and trimmed the deficit to as little as 14, with a Jefferson three at 6:32. However, Orlando scored six straight points to expand the lead to 20 at 108-88 with 4:46 to go in the final buzzer.
With just over three minutes left, Redick connected on a three to put the Magic up 22, their largest lead of the game, and they cruised down the sizzling Spurs in a dramatic manner.
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