Ginobili propels Spurs vs Hornets with 27 pts

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina – Manu Ginobili said he needed a game like this.

Maybe it’s the game the San Antonio Spurs needed to get things turned around, too.

Ginobili was the focal point of the Spurs’ offense Wednesday night, scoring 27 points on 10-of-14 shooting in San Antonio’s 98-93 victory over the Charlotte Hornets.

When the Spurs needed a big play, they didn’t hesitate to turn to the 13-year NBA veteran.

“In the past few games I’ve had the opportunity to have the ball in my hands a lot of times,” Ginobili said. “Sometimes it is not that easy against very athletic teams. Today I made a couple of shots and made better decisions, so I am happy about it.”

In Orlando, Florida, Victor Oladipo had 32 points, Nik Vucevic added 25 and 12 rebounds, and the Orlando Magic rallied to beat the Houston Rockets, 120-113.

Houston led 85-84 entering the fourth quarter, but was outscored 36-28 by the Magic in the final 12 minutes.

The win was Orlando’s second straight, and snapped a four-game Rockets’ winning streak. It was the second consecutive 30-point game for Oladipo, who had 33 in the Magic’s win at Chicago on Monday.

Elfrid Payton and Channing Frye each added 15 points. Orlando improved to 11-1 this season when scoring 100 points or more.

James Harden had 26 points and 10 assists to lead Houston. Dwight Howard added 23 points and eight rebounds. Howard is now 3-2 against his former team.

In New York, Zach Randolph had 20 points and 14 rebounds and the Memphis Grizzlies beat the slumping Brooklyn Nets, 103-92, in their first matchup against former coach Lionel Hollins.

Hollins’ new team dropped its seventh straight since it was 16-16 after winning its first game of 2015. (AP)