De’Aaron Fox and Luke Kornet Play Hero Ball as Spurs Scrape Past Magic 114-112

In the chaotic, heart-pounding theatre of NBA crunch time, sometimes the script doesn’t need the leading man. Sometimes, the star of the show is watching from the sidelines in street clothes, nursing a strained calf, while the understudies and the co-stars step into the spotlight to deliver a performance that leaves the audience breathless.

That was the scene at the Kia Center on Wednesday night. With Victor Wembanyama out, the San Antonio Spurs needed someone to step up. They got a virtuoso closing act from De’Aaron Fox and a defensive curtain call from Luke Kornet to escape Orlando with a gritty 114-112 victory over the Magic.

It wasn’t pretty—these grind-it-out games rarely are—but for a San Antonio team looking to find its identity beyond its generational French talent, it was beautiful in its resilience.

Fox Hunts Down the Win in the Fourth

De’Aaron Fox has been in this league long enough to know when the game is teetering on a knife’s edge. With the Spurs clinging to life in the final minutes, Fox didn’t just ask for the ball; he demanded the moment.

He finished with a game-high 31 points, but it was the final two minutes where he truly earned his paycheck. Fox scored the Spurs’ final 10 points, putting the team on his back and refusing to let them buckle under the pressure of a hostile Orlando crowd. It was a masterclass in closing—driving into the teeth of the defense, drawing contact, and hitting the shots that silence arenas.

With 1.4 seconds left on the clock and the score tied, Fox stood at the free-throw line. The noise was deafening, the kind of volume that rattles lesser players. Fox calmly sank both free throws after drawing a crucial foul on Jonathan Isaac. Ice in his veins? Maybe. But more likely, it was just the steely resolve of a veteran who knows that panic is the enemy of execution.

“He just took over,” said one observer near the Spurs bench. And really, that’s the only way to describe it. Despite coughing up seven turnovers earlier in the game—mistakes that kept the Magic lingering within striking distance—Fox erased those errors with pure, unadulterated clutch production when it mattered most.

The Block Heard ‘Round the Alamo

If Fox provided the dagger, Luke Kornet provided the shield.

The Magic had one last gasp. Trailing by two with barely a second remaining, Franz Wagner—who had been a thorn in San Antonio’s side all night with 25 points—found a lane. He went up for a layup that would have sent the game to overtime, a shot that looked for a split second like it might drop.

Enter Kornet.

The big man, often unheralded in a league obsessed with perimeter play, rose and swatted Wagner’s attempt away as the buzzer sounded. It was his third block of the night, but undoubtedly the most important of his season so far. The ball deflected away, and the Spurs exhaled as a collective unit. It was the kind of defensive stand that builds character in a locker room, proving they can win with grit when the glamour of Wembanyama’s dunks isn’t available.

Magic Runs Out of Tricks Without Banchero

You have to give credit to Orlando. Playing without their own superstar, Paolo Banchero (groin strain), they refused to go away. They fought, they clawed, and they nearly stole one.

Franz Wagner was sensational, leading the Magic with 25 points, 4 rebounds, and 6 assists. He stepped into the void left by Banchero and looked every bit the primary option. Jalen Suggs was equally impressive, pouring in 24 points and snagging three steals, playing with that frenetic energy that defines his game. But Suggs’ night ended prematurely when he fouled out with 25.6 seconds remaining, stripping the Magic of one of their best two-way players right when they needed him most.

Desmond Bane chipped in 14 points and dished out six assists, trying to keep the offense fluid, but the Magic just couldn’t find that one final play to get over the hump. Losing three of ten games since Banchero went down is tough, but the fight they showed against a surging Spurs team suggests they aren’t ready to fold just yet.

The Spurs’ Bench Mob Steps Up

While Fox and Kornet will grab the headlines, you can’t overlook the contributions from the supporting cast. This win was a testament to San Antonio’s depth.

Rookie sensation Dylan Harper came off the bench and looked like he belonged, tallying 16 points, five rebounds, and five assists. He played with a poise that belied his years, hitting a crucial three-point pull-up jump shot in the fourth quarter that helped keep the Magic at bay. Then there was Devin Vassell, adding 15 points and battling on the glass for six rebounds.

This is what dangerous teams do. When the MVP candidate sits, the rotation tightens, the focus sharpens, and guys like Harper and Vassell prove they are more than just complementary pieces. The Spurs have now won seven of nine games without Wembanyama, a stat that should terrify the rest of the Western Conference. It implies that this team isn’t a one-man show—it’s a legitimate squad.

Looking Ahead

For San Antonio, this win is a confidence builder. It’s proof of concept that their system works, that their defense can hold up in the clutch, and that De’Aaron Fox is still one of the premier closers in basketball.

They walked out of the Kia Center not just with a ‘W’, but with the knowledge that they can weather the storm. On a night where turnovers were high and their biggest star was in street clothes, the Spurs found a way. And sometimes, in the long, grueling marathon of an NBA season, finding a way is all that matters.

The Spurs head home, calf strains and all, knowing that even when the lights are dimmest, they have guys ready to shine.