Spurs 110, Magic 103: Complete effort not enough against defending champs

The Orlando Magic's losing streak hit the 10-game mark Wednesday against the San Antonio Spurs, who held off the visiting Magic by a 110-103 final. All-Star center Tim Duncan put up a vintage performance of 26 points and 10 boards to hold off Orlando, and his Spurs teammates shot a sizzling 14-of-32 from three-point range.

Orlando got 25 points and 13 boards from Nik Vučević, while Tobias Harris poured in 23 points, 10 boards, and six assists in one of the better all-around performances of his career.

Even without Aaron Gordon, arguably its best individual defender, Orlando played a solid enough game against San Antonio: it committed only 13 turnovers; kept the game virtually even on the boards, with San Antonio holding a 41-39 edge; and never trailed by more than nine points. In the midst of a long losing streak characterized by poor all-around play and half-hearted efforts, the fight it showed Wednesday stands out.

Still, plenty of problems remain: four Spurs hit three triples apiece, accounting for 12 of their 14 on the night. Orlando simply has to defend the arc better. And San Antonio had its way with Victor Oladipo, hounding him into a 5-of-21 shooting night.

All told, the Magic can at least hang around with most teams if they play as hard as they did Wednesday. The Spurs, as everyone's come to learn over the past decade-plus, are simply not like most teams.