Turnovers doom Magic in 123-97 season-opening loss to Spurs

Orlando expected there to be a learning curve with a young team undergoing a rebuilding process, and the Magic got their first lesson as San Antonio forced 16 turnovers while cruising to a 120-95 win in the season opener at AT&T Center.

The Magic (0-1) jumped out to a 17-10 lead midway through the first quarter as center Mo Bamba scored five points with an assist and a block. But the Magic went cold from the floor, shooting 4 of 17 (24%) as the Spurs (1-0) defense forced five turnovers and stormed back for a 32-28 lead and never looked back.

It was the eighth straight loss by the Magic going back to last season.

The game started to slip away for Orlando in the second quarter as San Antonio built a 12-point advantage. The Magic struggled with ball security as the Spurs forced eight first-half turnovers and converted them into 11 points.

Orlando was one of the better defensive teams in the paint during the preseason, allowing an NBA-best 35.5 points in the paint. The Magic led the league in shots blocked per game (10) as well with Bamba averaging 3.8 blocks per game.

That wasn’t the case against the Spurs, who scored 56 points in the paint.

Rookies Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs shined at moments but also ran into some struggles. Suggs was 3 for 14 from the field with 10 points, a rebound, an assist and a steal. Wagner finished with 12 points, four rebounds and two assists.

Bamba finished with a team-high 18 points, four rebounds, four assists and four blocks while Wendell Carter Jr. added 13 points and eight rebounds. Guard Terrence Ross finished with 15 points and three rebounds off the bench.