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Balanced Spurs extend Magic slump to 7 games 
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Spurs, Magic aim to get back on track

The San Antonio Spurs and Orlando Magic will look to get back on the winning track when they square off in an interconference battle on Friday in the Alamo City.

The Spurs have dropped two straight games separated by the All-Star break, with the most recent setback a 115-104 loss at Dallas on Wednesday.

DeMar DeRozan led San Antonio with 30 points and 11 assists against the Mavericks, his third 30-plus point/assist double-double this season.

Six Spurs scored in double figures on Wednesday, but San Antonio was undone by poor shooting and defense down the stretch. The Spurs missed 11 straight shots in the decisive stretch that began near the six-minute mark of the final quarter.

Dallas also outrebounded the Spurs 51-30 and earned a 21-2 edge in second-chance points.

"We played hard, played well, but too many mental mistakes and a little bit uneven flow and uneven performances offensively," San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said after the defeat. "We're not a well-oiled machine by any stretch, but I thought they gave it a great effort. We lost the game on the boards tonight -- they killed us on the boards."

DeRozan will be asked to carry even more of the leadership load now. Before Wednesday's game, Popovich announced that LaMarcus Aldridge and the team had agreed to part ways. The team is exploring trade opportunities for the seven-time All Star.

Aldridge was not with the team in Dallas and is not expected to be back in a Spurs uniform.

The Magic head to San Antonio on the heels of a 111-103 loss at Miami on Thursday in the first of a difficult road back-to-back. It was Orlando's sixth straight defeat -- the Magic have not won since beating Detroit at home on Feb. 21.

Nikola Vucevic led Orlando with 24 points and 17 rebounds on Thursday. Dwayne Bacon had 21 points, Michael Carter-Williams scored 17 and Aaron Gordon added nine for the Magic.

Gordon played for the first time since Jan. 31, logging 14 minutes. He had been sidelined due to a sprained ankle, and he will be listed as questionable for the game against the Spurs.

The second half of the NBA season will be crammed with games because of postponements from COVID-19, but the players understand everyone is in the same boat.

"We just have to make sure we're mentally prepared for it, physically prepared for it," Vucevic said. "We don't have it harder than any other team. It's just the way it is, and we just have to approach it like that and try to play the best we can."

After Friday's game in San Antonio, Orlando returns home to play the Heat again on Sunday. The Magic's next 13 games are against teams currently at or above .500.

Orlando's Evan Fournier (groin strain) and James Ennis (calf soreness) likely won't play on Friday. Magic coach Steve Clifford said Fournier participated in non-contact drills at practice on Wednesday while Ennis sat out.

"I don't see either of them being available for the weekend," Clifford said.

--Field Level Media

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