In Orlando, the Magic aim to bounce back as they host the San Antonio Spurs

The Orlando Magic are hoping to stop their recent slide when they host Victor Wembanyama, De’Aaron Fox, and the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday.

The Magic have struggled lately, losing 10 of their last 12 games, including five out of six on their recent road trip, which ended with a 112-90 defeat to the Denver Nuggets on Thursday.

The Spurs haven’t been much better, losing eight of their past 11 games. They come into this game after a 117-116 loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Friday, in Fox’s second game with San Antonio. Fox, who joined the Spurs from the Sacramento Kings through a trade, had put them ahead 116-114 with a step-back jumper in the final seconds, but Miles Bridges hit a game-winning three-pointer for the Hornets with 1.4 seconds left.

Spurs acting head coach Mitch Johnson expressed frustration about the 16 offensive rebounds the Spurs allowed, which resulted in 27 second-chance points. “I put that under the physicality umbrella, and pretty, pretty disappointing,” he said.

Fox had 22 points and six assists in the loss to the Hornets, following a 24-point, 13-assist performance in his debut with the Spurs on Wednesday, a 126-125 win over the Atlanta Hawks. “He makes tough shots, big shots. He doesn’t shy away from the moment. That’s definitely something that we expect from him and that’s big time,” Johnson said.

“When there’s players that have been in those situations numerous times, there’s a certain level of calm and confidence that they play with, and I think it exudes to their teammates.”

Orlando, on the other hand, struggled against Denver’s Nikola Jokic and Michael Porter Jr., who combined for 58 points, outscoring Orlando’s starting lineup by 10. Wendell Carter Jr. led Orlando off the bench with 19 points, matching his season high.

The Magic are starting a stretch of 10 home games in the next 11. “It’s a great opportunity for us to steal a couple games, get our mojo back, our swagger back,” Carter said. “With us being back in the Kia Center, I know our fans are waiting for us back there, I think it’ll be a good thing. Especially these next three going into the (All-Star) break, I think it’ll set our tone for that back half of the season. I think there’s going to be a lot of emphasis on these next three.”

Wembanyama leads the Spurs in scoring with 24.4 points per game and in rebounding with 10.9, while making a huge impact on defense, averaging 3.88 blocks per game. If he keeps this pace, it would be the highest by any player since Alonzo Mourning’s 3.91 blocks per game in 1998-99.

Franz Wagner has been leading Orlando this season, averaging 24.8 points, 5.1 assists, and 5.4 rebounds per game. Paolo Banchero has contributed significantly, averaging 22.3 points and 7.2 rebounds over his 19 games.

Goga Bitadze has had a breakout season, leading the team in rebounds with 8.1 and adding 9.1 points per game, both career highs.