Raptors Roll Past Magic
- Aravind Lingam
- Mar 2, 2018
- 5 min read
The Raptors were looking to keep it rolling against the Orlando Magic who are dead last in the Eastern Conference. The Magic have been struggling all year long with injuries and Frank Vogel is trying to find a lineup that gives him both defense and offense. The Magic traded their starting point guard, Elfrid Payton, to the Phoenix Suns. The Magic will be looking to rebuild this year in the draft but have been playing teams tough. The Raptors are only 0.5 game up on the Boston Celtics for the 1st seed.

Bismack Biyombo and Serge Ibaka face off against their old teams on a Wednesday night in Orlando.
Both teams came out firing on all cylinders as no one could miss a shot in the first quarter. The Raptors shot 80% in the first quarter and the Magic shot 75% in the first quarter. Toronto was scoring from all over the court, but they were also allowing the Magic to do the same. The pick and roll coverage on the Magic was terrible as the bigs continued to sag in the lane and allow the shooters to step into wide open jumpers. The first quarter set the tone of the game with a 42-37 lead for the Toronto Raptors.
The second quarter seemed like the bench were locking down the Magic with their active defense, but the defensive intensity was not heightened by the bench. Bench mob got off to a quick double digit only to have it cut down again by breakdowns on the pick and roll coverages. Jakob Poeltl was active on the offensive end as he led the team in scoring in the first half with 11 points. The Raptor starters came back on the floor with a 1-point lead with 6 minutes to go in the quarter. The Raptors starting to push the pace, and this led to great scoring opportunities. OG converted an acrobatic And-1 in transition but landed awkwardly into the cameramen on the baseline and sprained his ankle. Norman Powell took over as OG would not return for the rest of the game. This was disappointing since OG recently came back from injury and was having himself a good game. Raptors went into half 69-63.

Jakob Poeltl was active around the rim early by leading the team with 11 points at the half.
Toronto came out cold and so did the Orlando Magic in the second half. Norman Powell was having trouble keeping up with Evan Fournier as he used multiple screens to get clean looks from outside. The perimeter defense was poor by the Raptors as they allowed straight line drives after they were afraid of the Magic’s outside shooting. Raptors lost the lead in a matter of seconds and both teams began trading baskets throughout the 3rd quarter. Casey elects to go with the Bench Mob along with Lowry and DeRozan to see what lineup would give him optimal defense and offense. The Raptors were leading 90-83 with about a minute left on the clock, but back-to-back turnovers by the Raptors led to back-to-back threes for the Magic as the quarter ended 90-89 with the Raptors holding onto a 1-point lead. Orlando had converted 20 points off Toronto’s turnovers.
The Bench Mob started the fourth and were trying to get a rhythm on defense. They forced some stops but struggled to convert on the other end and vice-versa. The game was all about trading baskets with about six minutes to go, the score was 101-96. Casey subbed in DeRozan and Lowry for Wright and Miles with about 5 minutes to go. This lineup was the most successful as it had great ball movement and the versatility to switch on defenders. This was a smart decision by the Toronto coaching staff to prevent any miscommunication problems on the defensive end and the Magic were not able to expose the mismatches. Pascal Siakam’s ability to run down the floor resulted in two open dunks and Poeltl protecting the rim shut down the Magic offense. In a span of 3 minutes, the Raptors extended their lead from 4 to 12.

Pascal's ability to score in transition allowed the Raptors to rest and set up their half-court defense.
The two All-Stars iced the game with tough baskets and drawing fouls. Lowry shot a dismal 1/5 from the line in this game, but did convert a crucial And-1 late in the game. Siakam comes up with a steal and dishes to Lowry who sends it back up top for a Siakam one-handed alley-oop slam. This was the dagger as the Raptors dominated the fourth quarter, 27-15. The Raptors managed to take control of this game late and were able to hold off the Magic even though they dropped in 13 threes.
Toronto Raptors Orlando Magic
117 104
Player of the Game:

Raptors needed everything from their spark plug off the bench to run away with this one.
Pascal Siakam
25 minutes, 14 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 0 turnovers, 7-9 shooting, 0/0 FT, 0/1 3PT
Pascal making simple plays is what was so impactful in this game. He ran past all the Orlando players and got quick and easy dunks late in the fourth. These were simply high energy plays and without a doubt, he is the spark for this Toronto Raptors team. The bench play with a fast pace and Siakam is one of the key contributors to that with his ability to handle the ball and run the floor. Kyle Lowry and Jakob Poeltl were the two honorable mentions as they both had their hands all over this game.
Things To Take Away From This Game:
1. Pick and Roll Defense
The Orlando Magic were shooting lights out, but the pick and roll defense left all the shooters open. Dwane Casey was yelling at the bigs to show up high on the pick and rolls who were stepping into wide open shots. Casey liked what Poeltl and Siakam were able to do on the pick and roll coverages as the young bigs played the majority of the fourth quarter.
2. OG & Norm
OG Anunoby fell into the cameramen on the baseline after converting a fast break layup and getting fouled. OG sprained his ankle on the play and did not return in the second half. Norman Powell stepped in after the injury and played 11 minutes but did not record any stat whatsoever. Rare to see a 0 stat line from a player who played 11 minutes and did attempt a shot as well. Hopefully OG’s injury isn’t serious and maybe Norman Powell can get a rhythm going in the upcoming game against the Wizards.

OG was having a strong game before going down with an ankle sprain early in the game.
3. Almost Broke NBA history
The Raptors were on the verge of breaking NBA history for the biggest differential in a month but were one point short of that. The team has been playing extremely well in this month and have captured the first seed as a result. The Raptors will have to keep it rolling as they face off against another possible playoff preview match-up against the Washington Wizards.
Pictures courtesy of:
http://www.nba.com/raptors/gallery/rapsmagic-022818
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