Victor Wembanyama pushes magic into the ‘time of money’

Despite the “back to back” and the break being delayed for almost five hours, Saint Anthony defeated the Magic at home 112-103 with 25 points, 8 rebounds, 5 blocks and 4 steals from Victor Wembanyama.

Charlotte returns very lateSpurs showed no signs of fatigue and immediately took control of the match. San Antonio thus succeeds in 7 of its first 8 shots and imposes a high tempo. “Wemby” quickly hits the rim, De’Aaron Fox and Devin Vassell also find the basket, and the aggressiveness of the Spurs on the rebound and in the paint hurts Orlando a lot. Despite several 3-point shots by Desmond Bain and Mo Wagner, the Spurs increase the deficit and end the first quarter (37-21).

Orlando completely changed its face at the start of the second quarter with a great increase in defensive intensity and a decisive contribution from the bench. A run as fast as it was terrifying (13-0) almost completely erased the Texas lead. Tristan DaSilva, Anthony Black and Jonathan Isaac bring energy, while Paolo Banchero and Bain take on more responsibility in attack. On the Spurs side, Dylan Harper is keeping the team afloat with a few individual actions, but San Antonio is clearly feeling the pressure. Orlando goes ahead and leads at halftime (61-60).

“Wembi” closes shop

From the restart, the Spurs hit hard with an opening 10-2 run, causing turnovers and disrupting Florida’s rhythm. The match becomes more tense and less fruitful offensively. Banchero and Bain continue to carry Orlando, but San Antonio is spreading the scoring better and starting to take full advantage of their free throw advantage. The Spurs regained control and ended the quarter with an 86-79 lead.

San Antonio is relying on its defense, its rebounding presence and the experience of its executives to prevent any real comeback from the Magic. Vembanjama makes spectacular defensive plays, Harper shines in several key sequences (including an assist on Carter Bryant’s huge dunk), and Keldon Johnson brings a lot of activity off the bench.
Orlando lacks offensive support after the break, with a quiet bench, and never manages to get back below the two-possession line. The result, it’s “Wemby” who pulls all the stops in “money time” to increase the gap to +17 (110-93). The two coaches open their benches, and Magic, with Noah Penda, brings the deficit below 10 points to end the match (112-103).

WHAT TO REMEMBER

“Wombi” and fashionable Giannis? Victor Vembanjame was penalized by the referees because he waited too long to shoot a free throw… We note that the Frenchman, hit in the shin, was given the green light to play only an hour before halftime.

Five hours late. Originally, this Spurs – Magic game was supposed to be played at 10:00 p.m. French time, and Paolo Banchero’s partners had been there since the previous day. Except a snowstorm and a mechanical problem on the plane forced the Spurs to land in San Antonio on Sunday. The NBA first moved the break by 3 hours, then by 5 hours.

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How to read statistics? Min = Minute; Shots = Shots Successful / Shots Attempted; 3 points = 3 points / attempt 3 points; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive jump; T = Total number of jumps; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal mistakes; Int = intercepts; Bp = lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = point difference when the player is on the court; Points = Points; Rating: player rating calculated based on positive actions – negative actions.