Spurs Sneak Around Magic
It wasn't pretty, but it was a win.
"This is the type of win we needed against a team that's been playing well and with a lot of confidence," San Antonio center David Robinson said. "We had good looks in the fourth quarter, but were hesitant. Our defense did it for us tonight."
In a game that neither team seemed to want, Robinson's two free throws in the final 18.5 seconds Wednesday night his only points of the second half gave the Spurs an 81-79 victory over the Orlando Magic.
Neither team scored in the final 4:47 after Tim Duncan's three-point play tied the game at 79 until Robinson's two free throws.
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"In the second half we started getting the ball to the right places at the right time," Orlando coach Chuck Daly said. "But sometimes you have to get a break at the end and we didn't tonight."
Robinson led the Spurs with 19 points as San Antonio (11-8) won its fifth straight game.
Penny Hardaway led the Magic with 22 points as Orlando (14-6) lost consecutive games for the first time this season and dropped behind Miami (14-5) in the Atlantic Division race.
Trailing 79-78, Orlando had a chance to take the lead. But Nick Anderson missed a 19-foot jumper and Robinson was fouled going for the rebound. The San Antonio center hit one of two free throws with 6.9 seconds left.
The Magic had one last try, but Anderson's hurried 30-footer was off the mark.
Orlando missed its last seven shots and did not score after Isaac Austin's jumper gave the Magic a 79-76 lead with 5:24 left. Orlando also had two turnovers and an offensive foul during its scoreless stretch.
San Antonio missed its last four shots and had two turnovers before Robinson came through at the end.
"Both teams made a lot of stops (at the end). That's what good teams do," San Antonio coach Gregg Popvich said.
San Antonio built a 49-38 halftime lead, but saw it almost disappear before they scored in the second half as the Magic began the third quarter with a 9-0 run.
Orlando outscored the Spurs 28-19 in the period to take its first lead since the opening minute, only to have San Antonio score the last four points of the period, including a last-second breakaway slam by Will Perdue, to lead 68-66 going into the final quarter.
Notes: Orlando forward Charles "Bo" Outlaw sat out his second straight game with a left calf contusion. That was a disappointment for many in the crowd since Outlaw was returning to his hometown for the only time this season. He was honored earlier in the day at his alma mater, San Antonio John Jay High School, which will play in the state basketball tournament this weekend. Outlaw is listed as day-to-day ... San Antonio guard Mario Elie returned after missing the last three games with a left hamstring pull ... San Antonio has been outscored only once in the first quarter in its first 19 games.
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