SAN ANTONIO — Almost nothing was routine about Sunday’s game between the Magic and Spurs at Frost Bank Center.

A game originally scheduled for 4 p.m., it was pushed back not once but twice over the course of a day before it ultimately tipped off at 9 p.m. (or 8 p.m. Central) after San Antonio was stranded Saturday night in Charlotte because of winter weather and had to divert to Atlanta on Sunday morning due to equipment problems.

And as the Spurs traveled the day of the game and arrived home fewer than five hours before  stepping on the court, Orlando could do nothing but wait in its hotel with uncertainty about whether or the not game would take place.

But, by the end of the night, it was the Spurs who played with more aggression and assertiveness from the jump, scoring 37 points in the first quarter, out-rebounding Jamahl Mosley‘s squad 48-34 and racking up 52 points in the paint en route to a 112-103 victory.

“I’ve said it time and time again, we weren’t ready to play,” Magic guard Desmond Bane said after the nine-point loss. “We were a step slow, especially on the defensive end. I mean, they were getting whatever they wanted. And then we settled into the rhythm of the game but you’re playing the second best team in the league so you can’t afford to have moments like that.

“I talk about our growth and stuff like that, but we’ve got to start putting it into action and being better,” he added.

After trailing by 16 points at the end of opening quarter, Orlando actually took a 61-60 lead into halftime thanks to a 40-23 advantage in the second frame. But San Antonio limited the Magic to just 18 points in the third, Orlando’s lowest scoring quarter of the night.

It didn’t help that San Antonio attempted 17 more free throws than Orlando and made nine more.

Multiple members of the Magic found themselves in foul trouble, including center Wendell Carter Jr., who earned two fouls in the first three minutes of the game.

Carter picked up five fouls, scored two points and grabbed just two rebounds in 19 minutes of action.

“Probably one of my worst games of my career, honestly,” he told the Orlando Sentinel in the locker room. “It was just tough. I know what kind of impact I have on this team when I’m scoring, rebounding, but I’ve got to be out there. I’ve got to be a lot smarter, knowing the guys we are going against. I definitely just got to be smarter.

“I can’t allow myself to be out of the flow of the game early, and then it kind of just messes up my flow for the rest of the game,” he added.

With Carter off the floor, Mosley turned to three different big men off the bench: Jonathan Isaac, Moe Wagner and Goga Bitadze.

While Isaac and Bitadze had some success against Spurs star Victor Wembanyama — who shot a combined 0-for-2 from the floor with just two free throws during the 3 1/2 minutes with Isaac and Bitadze defending him, according to league-tracking data — the French All-Defensive forward overpowered Orlando to total 25 points, eight rebounds, five blocks and four steals in 28 minutes on the second night of a back-to-back.

“It was tough,” Isaac told the Sentinel about battling the 7-foot-4 Wembanyama. “They created a certain set of problems with him being as tall as he is, and they’ve got guards that can really get downhill.

“Our ability to defend the paint was a little choppy,” Isaac added.

San Antonio’s top trio of guards — De’Aaron Fox (14 points), Devin Vassell (16) and No. 2  pick Dylan Harper (15) — combined to score 45 points on 20-for-39 shooting from the floor (51.3%).

Meanwhile, Orlando’s first three guards beyond Bane — Jalen Suggs (5 points), Anthony Black (11) and Tyus Jones (scoreless in nine minutes) — combined to score 16 points on 6-for- 25 shooting (24%).

But if, as Bane said, the Magic “weren’t ready to play” against Wembanyama and the Spurs, who does that fall on?

“It [doesn’t have anything] to do with the coaches,” Bane said. “That’s on us. They’re not the ones out there sitting down and guarding. We don’t have elaborate schemes really on either side of the ball, but we know what’s asked of us.

“And we’re a team that plays physical and plays hard, especially on the defensive end of the floor,” he added. “That wasn’t there.”

Orlando (25-23) will have to recapture that identity when it makes its lone trip of the regular season to the defending champions Thunder on Tuesday night.

Oklahoma City (39-11) has gone 21-4 at home this season and leads the league in scoring (120.3 points per night).

“It’s going to be a tough matchup playing them in their place,” Paolo Banchero told the Sentinel about the Thunder. “They’re the best team in the West, so we’ve just got to come out and be ready.

“We can’t expect to get calls there,” he added. “We’ve got to find a way to win. They’re a really good team and a well-oiled machine. So, it’s going to be a hell of a challenge.”

Jason Beede can be reached at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com

Up next …

Magic at Thunder

When: 8 p.m., Tuesday, Paycom Center

TV: FanDuel Sports Network Florida