SAN ANTONIO _ The Orlando Magic finally started shooting the ball the way coach Steve Clifford has expected and Aaron Gordon took charge during a crucial third quarter, helping the Magic snapped a four-game losing skid and knock off the San Antonio Spurs on the road, 117-110.
Gordon scored 13 points in the third quarter as the Magic jumped out to a 20-point lead. They then used a 12-3 run to start the fourth quarter to push the lead to 26 and the Spurs could not muster a comeback.
Gordon ended the game with 26 points and eight rebounds to lead the way for Orlando (3-6), which had great balance with six players in double figures. D.J Augustin had 18 points and seven assists, Evan Fournier had 16 points and seven assists and Terrence Ross had 17 points off the bench.
Mohamed Bamba had 12 points and a career-high 11 rebounds, earning his first double-double during his rookie season.
The Magic, who came into the game last in the NBA in field-goal percentage (441.4) and 29th out of 30 teams in 3-point percentage (31.1), kept saying they eventually expected their shots to start falling. They certainly did against the Spurs, with Orlando shooting 51 percent from the field and 37.5 (12 of 32) from 3-point range.
Orlando shot 67 percent from the field in the first quarter and jumped out to a 36-26 lead. The Magic continued to shoot the ball well and led 63-54 at halftime, hitting 24 of 42 shots for 57 percent.
The Magic still, however, had their issues from distance, hitting just 4 of 12 3-pointers.
The best sign for the Magic was the shooting of Fournier, who entered the game shooting just 37 percent from the field in the first eight games, including 38 percent from 3-point range. The usually reliable shooter hit 6 of 7 shots in the first half, including 2 of 3 treys, and had 14 points by the break.
