THE Orlando Magic bested the Toronto Raptors who are without their all-star player at the Air Canada Center with the score of 113-98. This ended the Raptors’ seven game-winning streak.
The Magic relied on their forward Terrence Ross who is a former player for the Raptors with 28 points on his former team. Magic’s all-star bigman Nikola Vucevic also got a double-double of 23 points and 12 boards to add to the stat sheet.
Meanwhile, the Raptors had to be carried by their captain guard Kyle Lowry with his performance of 19 points and 10 dishes. Forward Pascal Siakam scored 10 points and 11 boards to add to their loss. The Raptors played without their superstar, forward Kawhi Leonard, after their win against San Antonio last Saturday. However, the management said that he will return this Wednesday against their rival in the Eastern Conference, the Boston Celtics.
The first quarter was controlled by the Magic with Vucevic leading the charge. He scored his first eight points in the quarter which gave the Magic the upper hand down in the paint. The quarter ended with the score of 25-15 in favor of the Magic.
In the second half, Lowry and Raptors’ guard Jodie Meeks – who’s acquired on a 10-day contract – tried to weather the storm, scoring 10 points each in the quarter yet the Magic continued their onslaught with brilliant passes down in the paint and second chance opportunities. Ross was heating up in the second quarter with a couple of threes and drives to the basket. The Magic led with 53-30 going into halftime.
In the third, the Magic still refused the Raptors to cut their lead down.
The Magic scored 10-21 shots in the field in the quarter and Ross got loose play after play, with no answer from his former team. As the game was heading into the fourth, the Magic ended the third with 80-71. In the last 12 minutes, the Raptors lost their steam and the Magic took advantage and extended their lead as many as 20 points. The Magic were able to pull off a win due to their efficient stat at the free throw line, draining 15-20 attempts. Overall, the Magic ended getting the win against the home team.
The Magic bump their record up to 28-33 while the Raptors maintain their top-notch record of 44-17 despite this loss. (Jayvee Gulfan, USC intern)