Fresh off of a bad defeat at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday, the Toronto Raptors were looking to bounce back and get back to their winning ways against the lowly Orlando Magic who sit 2nd last in the Eastern Conference. The Magic have been nothing short of a disappointment this year after starting off the season strong. The Raptors could not afford to lose any more games if they want to hold onto the number one seed in the Eastern Conference. Key injuries for the game included DeMar DeRozan, who is sitting out with a thigh contusion, and Fred VanVleet, who is still nursing a hand bruise.
The Raptors got off to a good start with JV doing most of his damage in the first quarter. Both teams traded baskets early on. The Orlando Magic were starting their rookie, Jonathan Isaac, who is full of potential. OG Anunoby matched up with him and struggled to score against his length. The Magic are trying to develop their young talent since the playoffs are definitely not happening. The Raptors need OG to get back on track as he has a tall task of guarding LeBron tomorrow night. The Raptors were down 1 after 12 minutes of action.
Valanciunas going up strong and attacks the rim with aggression.
In the second quarter, the Toronto Raptors went down early and were struggling to score. The bench was being outplayed by the Orlando bench. Every time the Raptors made a basket, Shelvin Mack always had a response. Norman Powell did score 10 points in the first half but was having a tough time guarding the elusive Mack who was scoring from the outside and inside. The game is beginning to get out of hand when Toronto started to turn the ball over a lot more which led to the Magic capitalizing on those mistakes. Cue Kyle Lowry. The All-Star entered the game and took it by the reins. Kyle scored 10 points in the quarter and helped the Raptors retake the lead at the end of the first half, 52-51.
Norman Powell scored 10 in the first half and was relied upon without DeMar DeRozan's offensive prowess.
The third quarter was the definition of a struggle. Toronto put up only 16 points in the third and were unable to muster up any sort of offense. DeMar DeRozan’s ability to get buckets and attack the rim was definitely missed. JV, who was strong early in the game, was not given much touches in the second half and did not make it to double-digits in points. Orlando started to convert from long range and were aggressive on the glass. Toronto looked sluggish and slightly hungover from their loss to the OKC Thunder. The offense was out of sort and the team wasn’t generating any good looks. Lowry was on the bench resting for the fourth quarter. It was up to Lorenzo Brown, Delon Wright and Norman Powell to create offense, but that was easier said than done. Toronto headed into the fourth quarter down 68-76.
Toronto were 11/30 from the outside heading into the fourth. Lowry had already played 28 minutes, but Casey knew without Kyle’s playmaking, this game would be difficult to win. This was an ugly game to watch from beginning to end. Lowry subbed back into the game with 8:26 left in the fourth. Casey went with a lineup of Lowry, Wright, Brown, Siakam, and Nogueira. This lineup was interesting to see as this wasn’t a group that typically plays together. This team still had a chance to win this game, but they had to defend, and they did just that. The length and rotating defense prevented the Magic from hitting a field goal until the 4-minute mark. Toronto went on a 12-0 run to take control of the game. The Magic made a small response, but Lowry sealed it with a couple threes down the stretch. Raptors went 4/6 from three-point land and outscored the Magic in the fourth quarter 26-10. A strong fourth quarter defensively sealed this game.
Siakam and the boys came up big in the fourth to put this game away.
Toronto Raptors Orlando Magic
93 86
Player of the Game
Kyle Lowry
37 minutes, 25 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists, 0 steals, 0 blocks, 4 turnovers, 9/17 shooting, 7/13 3PT, 0/0 FT
Without his backcourt mate, Kyle Lowry came ready to play and was huge throughout the game. His second quarter and fourth quarter performance kept the Raptors in the game and helped the Raptors win the game. Lowry has an uncanny ability to hit timely shots which either stop opposing runs or start runs for the Raptors. He became the closer and hit the dagger three near the end of the shot clock which put this game out of reach. Lowry did play a team-high 37 minutes. It will be interesting to see if Dwane Casey elects to play Lowry in tomorrow’s back-to-back game in Cleveland.
Things To Take Away From This Game
1. A Bad Win
When looking at the game stats, you would think the Toronto Raptors were completely dominated. The Raptors lost most of the major categories to the Orlando Magic. The Raptors allowed more offensive rebounds, created less assists, turned the ball over more, outscored in the paint and took 13 less shots from the field. The Raptors did win the shooting percentages by slight margins and went to the free throw line a lot more which helped Toronto overcome these odds. This was another game where the Raptors decided to play hard near the end of the game and somehow got the win. For most of the game, they did not deserve to win this game but a strong fourth quarter saved them in this one.
2. Depth
The Raptors were able to overcome the loss of two of their main six players on the evening. Eleven different Raptors played double-digit minutes and each player put in a solid effort. The versatility of this team is key in matching up with different scenarios. Casey elected to go with Nogueira over Poeltl in this one which turned out to be the right move. Nogueira’s length altered shots if he did not block them initially. Lorenzo Brown also provided solid minutes and played the entire fourth quarter. The Raptors have multiple players who are ready for any moment and stay ready awaiting their opportunity. Internal competition will fuel each player to become better and to never settle. Another win and another great opportunity to develop the young core.
Pictures courtesy of:
http://www.nba.com/raptors/gallery/rapsmagic-032018