Game review: Spurs (46-29) 112, Magic (53-23) 100

In one of their worst defensive efforts of the season, the Magic allowed San Antonio to shoot 52% from the field and score 112 points, as the Spurs were led by Manu Ginobili's season-high 43 points. The Magic also did not help their cause by missing more than half their free throws, as it appeared they lost their focus and emotions in the second half. Matt Barnes and Magic coach Stan Van Gundy got into a disagreement, and Barnes was replaced at the 6:39 mark of the third quarter and did not return. Dwight Howard fouled out late in the game, missed 9 of 11 free throws, and wasn't a factor. Rashard Lewis and Mickael Pietrus, off the bench, led the Magic with 18 points.

In a tightly contested first quarter, which saw Tim Duncan commit 3 fouls in the first 3:32, neither team had more than a 4 point lead as the Spurs led after one 29-27. The Magic came back in the second quarter to lead by as much as 56-50 with 1:17 remaining, as Spurs' coach Greg Popovich picked up his second technical and was ejected at the 2:59 mark, but the Spurs cut the Magic lead to 56-54 at the half. Things began to unravel for the Magic in the third quarter, as their last lead was 65-63 with 7:52 left in the third. The Spurs then went on a 15-5 run to lead 78-70, and led 87-78 going into the fourth quarter. The Magic scored the first 7 points of the fourth quarter to cut their deficit to 87-85, but the Spurs scored 6 in a row to go back to an 8 point lead. The Magic made one final attempt to come back, cutting the Spurs' lead to 98-94 with 5:08 remaining, but that's as close as they would get as the Spurs went on a 8-2 run to lead by 10 on the way to their 12 point victory.

Magic leading scorers

Rashard Lewis: 18 points (7 of 11 FGs, 4 of 7 3 PT FGs)
Mickael Pietrus (bench): 18 points (7 of 9 FGs, 2 of 3 3 PT FGs), 6 rebounds
Jameer Nelson: 15 points (7 of 16 FGs, 1 of 3 3 PT FGs), 6 assists, 5 rebounds
J.J. Redick (bench): 15 points (5 of 10 FGs, 1 of 3 3 PT FGs), 6 rebounds
Vince Carter: 12 points (5 of 15 FGs, 1 of 5 3 PT FGs), 4 assists, 4 rebounds
Dwight Howard: 10 points (4 of 7 FGs, 2 of 11 FTs), 6 rebounds

Overall Game Statistics

FG%: SA 51.8% (43 of 83) ORL 48.8% (39 of 80)
3 PT FG%: ORL 41.7% (10 of 24) SA 31.6% (6 of 19)
FT%: SA 76.9% (20 of 26) ORL 46.2% (12 of 26)
REB: ORL 39 (11 offensive) SA 39 (8 offensive)
AST/TO: SA 21/8 ORL 18/11
BENCH: ORL 40 SA 20

Other game notes and stats:

-Manu Ginobili scored his 43 points (in 35 minutes) on 13 of 25 FGs, 3 of 6 3 PT FGs, and 14 of 17 FTs; he also added 6 rebounds and 5 assists
-Three other Spurs scored in double figures, as Tim Duncan came on in the second half to score 19 of his 23 points on 10 of 12 shooting overall and grabbed 8 rebounds
-Matt Bonner came off the bench to add 15 points along with 6 rebounds
-The Magic starters were outscored by the Spurs' starters 92-60
-Nelson and Carter combined to shoot 12 of 31 from the field
-Jason Williams, Ryan Anderson, and Marcin Gortat combined to score 7 points off the bench on 2 of 8 shooting
-Duncan and Antonio McDyess combined to shoot 15 of 18 from the field for the Spurs
-In his last two games, Pietrus has scored a total of 42 points on 14 of 17 shooting, including 8 of 9 on threes
-Cleveland's win over Atlanta, combined with the Magic loss, officially clinched the number one seed for the Cavaliers; the magic number for the Magic to clinch the SE division is now 2

Here is the complete recap and box score from nba.com.