ORLANDO, Florida (Ticker) -- Tim Duncan's season-high 47 points sent the Orlando Magic to a new low.
Duncan's superhuman effort led the San Antonio Spurs to a 105-94 victory over the Magic, who set a franchise record with their 18th straight loss.
The Magic broke the club record set by the 1991-92 squad, which went just 21-61. They have not won since their opener at New York, falling to 0-8 under new coach Johnny Davis, who replaced the fired Doc Rivers last month.
"It's becoming increasingly difficult and certainly, the more you lose, the tougher it seems to get," Davis said.
Facing the slumping defending champions, the Magic both tormented and teased their fans, falling behind by 18 points in the second quarter and surging to the lead in the third period before collapsing in the final seven minutes.
"It's been playing out that way the better part of the season," Davis said. "We start out, we're doing OK, we dig a hole, we make a valiant effort to get back and then we don't make plays down the stretch to finish the game."
Duncan fell six points shy of his career high, set December 16, 2001 vs. Dallas. He made 19-of-34 shots and 9-of-13 free throws, missing a 3-pointer and a chance at 50 points in the waning seconds.
"I really tried to let the game come to me," Duncan said. "They really weren't double-teaming me or doing anything, so I had my chances to take my shots in the post."
"He's a special player," Davis said. "Going in, we felt like he would score pretty good numbers and actually wanted to make sure the other guys didn't beat us."
Duncan carried the Spurs, who came losers of four in a row for the first time since January 2001. Tracy McGrady tried to carry the Magic but wilted under smothering double-teams and made just 7-of-27 shots, scoring 28 points.
"The second team really didn't give us what we needed tonight," McGrady said. "The starters didn't get a chance to rest; we're out there running on flat tires in the fourth quarter."
"The team did a good job on Tracy in the fourth," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "You can't guard him with just one player, and we finally got another player involved to help out."
After the game, Duncan consoled McGrady. The two helped Team USA clinch a berth in the 2004 Olympics this summer in the FIBA Tournament of the Americas at Puerto Rico.
"I know it is killing him right now with the stretch they are going through," Duncan said. "I told him to keep his head up, keep fighting, and things will happen."
Orlando fell to 0-11 at home, tying the 1970-71 Cleveland Cavaliers and the 1987-88 Miami Heat for the second-worst start in NBA history.
The Spurs got a boost from Ron Mercer, who scored seven straight points in an 84-second span at the outset of the fourth quarter, providing an 82-80 lead. Duncan's layup capped a decisive 10-1 surge that made it 97-88 with 4:11 to go.
"Ron gave us a big lift because he made some shots where they were making a run," Duncan said.
The game was a seesaw affair. San Antonio built a 51-33 lead late in the second quarter, but McGrady scored 11 points in a 27-7 run that gave Orlando a 71-63 lead in the third period.
Orlando's Drew Gooden had season highs of 23 points and 15 rebounds. San Antonio's Tony Parker handed out a season-high 11 assists.
The Spurs have won the last five meetings with the Magic.
