Orlando Magic Grades: Orlando Magic 114, Toronto Raptors 113
The Orlando Magic caught fire in the second quarter and held on, answering every call from the Toronto Raptors, in a one-point road victory.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
| Magic | 27 | 33 | 22 | 32 | 114 |
| Raptors | 36 | 15 | 27 | 35 | 113 |
The Orlando Magic are not a group that has held on to a ton of leads this season. They are not a team to control a game on the road very often of late, even. There were a few moments of shakiness in the fourth quarter.
Each time, the Magic made the push back. They found a way to extend the lead.
Watching the Raptors cut their lead to five with Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan cutting through the lane? A quick timeout and then a 5-0 run to stretch it back to 10. Nikola Vucevic capping it off with a block and a push down the other end that found Jeff Green wide open for a 3-pointer.
It was like this throughout the game. The Magic were in control following a 19-0 run in the second quarter, making shots and getting stops defensively.
Toronto made one last push, but Vucevic and Orlando put the game out of reach at the foul line for an 114-113 win at Air Canada Centre on Sunday.
After a performance where the Magic expressed disappointment and frustration with their play, they responded with a strong overall effort. They overcame a slow start and took control in the second quarter. Toronto never retook the lead despite a strong effort from Kyle Lowry (33 points, eight assists) and DeMar DeRozan (22 points, six assists).
The Magic had each other’s back. They rotated well on defense, even if they gave up a shot. Orlando took each punch and kept coming back again and again.
In the second half, it was D.J. Augustin and the second unit that helped expand Orlando’s lead and build a strong cushion for the final push. Orlando’s momentum did not seem to wane.
When the Magic needed to get a stop to slow momentum, they got them.
It was far from clean. Toronto still had that sense it would muster up the offense and out-talent Orlando at some point. The game was never safe, even as the Magic went up 15. But it sure felt like Orlando was ready to run away.
They did not quite finish the game like that. But Orlando can at least breathe a sigh of relief over defeating one of the top teams in the East and that the team does have a performance like this in them.
What did Nikola Vuceivc not do in this game?<p>Vucevic started the game off strong as the Magic’s big offensive weapon as the defense got its feet under them. It was a rough opening to the game. Without Vucevic, there may not have been a way for the Magic to win this. Vucevic scored 19 of his 25 points in the first half. His run of scoring — eight points — in the second quarter helped charge the Magic’s 19-0 run that gave them control of the game heading to the locker room.</p><p>Vucevic was involved less in the second half. But he stepped up his game defensively. He used his verticality to challenge many shots and drives and finished with four blocks. One of those came late on a Kyle Lowry drive that sparked a fast break for a 3-pointer and a 10-point lead. Vucevic finished this game off by sinking the game-clinching free throws.</p>. C. Orlando Magic. NIKOLA VUCEVIC. A+
F. Orlando Magic. JEFF GREEN. B. Jeff Green receives a lot of heat from Orlando Magic fans. Some of it — a lot of it — is perhaps deserved. He will sometimes stop the ball and look for his own shot, keeping the ball from moving. And his defense is inconsistent. But he will have his moments and have his big games that just flash the talent that has always kept him in the league and in rotations.<p>Green scored 16 points on 6-for-8 shooting having his big moments and scoring some big baskets. The 5-0 run that stretched the Magic’s lead back out to 10 points in the fourth quarter? All five came from Green. He cut to the basket and picked up a nice feed from D.J. Augustin for a jam and then hit a three in transition to complete the 5-0 run.</p><p>He was somewhat invisible in the first half and part of the struggles the team had especially in the second quarter. The ball does tend to stick when he receives the ball. When he makes shots like he did Sunday, he can be very effective. And he did his best to slow down DeMar DeRozan throughout much of the second quarter.</p>
B+. D.J. Augustin was a big part of the reason the Orlando Magic held off the Toronto Raptors in the second half. When the Magic needed a big shot, they found one in Augustin.<p>Augustin seemed to hit a big shot whenever the Magic needed one specifically in the fourth quarter. He was essentially the shooting guard and played that way. He scored 21 points on 7-for-10 shooting, making three of his five 3-pointers. Each one of those shots was huge to maintaining the lead.</p><p>This was a good return for Augustin. He looked a bit shaky in his first game back Friday. He looked focused and alert to the game plan throughout the game. Even as he had to handle <strong><a rel=. G. Orlando Magic. D.J. AUGUSTIN
C+. This was not a game for <strong><a rel=. F. Orlando Magic. AARON GORDON
C. The Toronto Raptors have been struggling for the last few weeks. They broke a five-game losing streak Friday against the mIlwaukee Bucks and thought they may have picked up their momentum again. It looked like they would for a while.<p>That was short lived. The Orlando Magic quickly attacked and it showed the Raptors were only going to get production from two players. DeMar DeRozan scored 22 points with seven rebounds and six assists. Kyle Lowry scored 33 points and eight assists on 9-for-18 shooting. Toronto got little help elsewhere.</p><p>What was worse is the Raptors typically strong defense reverted back to where it was at the beginning of the season. The Magic scored with ease, attacking on the pick and roll and getting out in transition. Orlando had control of this game from the second quarter on and the Raptors were trying to stay alive.</p>. 29-19. 3rd East. TORONTO RAPTORS