ORLANDO – One of the more underrated qualities of last year’s Orlando Magic team was their resilience. Ten of their wins came when trailing going into the fourth quarter, tied for the second most in the NBA with the Houston Rockets.
Already this season, the Magic have won twice when behind after three quarters. That includes Friday’s thrilling victory over the San Antonio Spurs. Although down just three going into the final frame, Orlando had to overcome a seven-point deficit with just under five minutes remaining.
Perhaps most impressive about the Magic’s comeback win against San Antonio was the fact that everyone contributed in one way or another in those final several minutes.
Evan Fournier, who erupted for a season-best 26 points on 9-of-15 shooting, drilled a pair of clutch 3-pointers down the stretch, including one that put Orlando ahead with 1:16 remaining.
Another player unafraid to take big shots, Terrence Ross, had his best game so far this year. He scored 10 of his 20 points in the fourth.
D.J. Augustin hit a floater to tie the game with 3:23 left. The 6-foot, recently-turned 32-year-old point guard made last season’s most memorable Magic shot – a game-winning 3-pointer in the closing seconds of Game 1 of Orlando’s playoff series against Toronto.
Aaron Gordon, who also was excellent defensively, buried two free throws with 13.9 seconds left following a flagrant foul on DeMar DeRozan.
Although it certainly wasn’t one of his better games as he scored just 10 points on 4-of-16 shooting, Nikola Vucevic knocked down a critical free throw that put Orlando ahead by four immediately after Gordon’s pair.
Markelle Fultz’s playmaking, Michael Carter-Williams’ individual defense and Al-Farouq Aminu’s all-around play also were a major factor in those final minutes. Aminu started in place of an injured Jonathan Isaac (ankle) and posted 13 points and 13 rebounds.