Orlando Magic Grades: Toronto Raptors 131, Orlando Magic 112

The Orlando Magic and Toronto Raptors scored plenty of points, but the Magic could not keep pace as they faltered and could not climb up the hill.

There are games where the defense does not show up. Not for the full 48 or not even an entire half. And a team just has to find a way to scratch and claw their way back.

These precarious moments, the team has to be about perfect. When they get stops, they have to take advantage and slowly pull their way back in. Momentum is fleeting and can quickly peter out.

When the Magic made their push — a 22-8 run toward the end of the third quarter that cut a 17-point lead down to five — everything was going their way. Then a quick bucket right before the third quarter buzzer gave Toronto some breathing room.

Bismack Biyombo and the Magic got a bit greedy. Biyombo held the ball waiting for someone to make a long run so the Magic could sneak a few more points in. With the pace this game was played at, it was definitely possible for the Magic to get there.

Orlando did not get the memo. Biyombo had to throw the ball in and Delon Wright intercepted it. He crept to the corner and drained a rare 3-pointer to give the Raptors a 5-0 run and a 10-point lead after three quarters. Toronto scored the next five points of the game to start the fourth quarter, and that was all the Raptors needed to secure the victory.

The Magic could not get out of the hole they buried themselves through fouling throughout the game, their poor 3-point shooting (even on open 3-pointers) and driving into the paint with little penalty. DeMar DeRozan’s individual brilliance — 18 first-quarter points and 36 points for the game — and the 3-point shooting from Norman Powell and Cory Joseph gave Toronto a big lead midway through the second quarter and uphill climb the rest of the way.

Orlando kept the pressure up, shooting better than 50 percent until the team ran out of gas in the fourth quarter. The Magic finished shooting 48.9 percent from the floor. The Magic made just 4 of 20 3-pointers, spelling doom in a game that was so high scoring and played at such a fast pace.

Offense was not the problem throughout the game. The Magic made plenty of shots and scored plenty. The problem was the team never stepped up the physicality on defense and got pulled apart with awkward switches and bad matchups, particularly defending Serge Ibaka and the post.

Orlando was not sharp and Toronto took advantage.

B+. The Orlando Magic ran a curl for Terrence Ross on the team’s first possession, trying to get him a good look in his first game against his former team. Ross came around the screen and drained the jumper. He then scored seven points in the first quarter, before foul trouble trying to corral DeMar DeRozan sent him to the bench. But Ross was in rhythm.Ross finished with 17 points and four steals for the Magic. That included two rim-rattling dunks, one a 360 on a breakaway when he left his man and swiped the ball from rookie Jakob Poeltl. Ross was confident and draining his shot for the Magic.It is important to note he struggled to contain DeRozan. Yes, DeRozan hit plenty of difficult shots and caught Ross peeking even with his discipline to stay down. DeRozan was very good. So was Ross. but not good enough.. G/F. Orlando Magic. TERRENCE ROSS

B. Like Terrence Ross, Aaron Gordon put on a show above the rim and was extremely active around the basket and used his athleticism to make a statement against Serge Ibaka, the Magic’s former starting power forward.Gordon scored 16 points on 7-for-13 shooting. A lot of that came around the rim as he cut past Ibaka for several lobs. It got him into rhythm and he was able to score around the basket. let there be no doubt he is a power forward now.He contested DeRozan well once he was switched onto him, but still gave up his fair share of points to DeRozan. It was not ideal to have Gordon defending DeRozan in this game. It created odd mismatches when the Raptors went big. Ibaka got his point with Mario Hezonja or someone else guarding him. The Magic need better perimeter defense. And Orlando will need more than one rebound from Gordon in the future.. F. Orlando Magic. AARON GORDON

B. The Orlando Magic were struggling to keep pace with the Toronto Raptors and they had one player they could consistently turn to for points. Elfrid Payton, as he has throughout his time since the All-Star Break. Payton scored 22 points on 8-for-12 shooting, dishing out nine assists. When the Magic needed a basket, Payton found a way to create one, scoring well and penetrating well. Payton continues his offensive surge.His game was not perfect though. Cory Joseph got going for the Raptors, scoring 15 points and dishing out 13 assists. Those 13 assists are nearly the amount the Raptors average per game. It was a sign of how much the Raptors were moving the ball and scoring with ease.The point guard has to take some responsibility for that. And Payton has struggled with these defensive assignments in the last few years. It is going to be his biggest aspect of his game to improve this offseason.. PG. Orlando Magic. ELFRID PAYTON

THE BENCH. C-. One problem that seems to be a consistent problem is the bench. It has been one of the biggest storylines since the All-Star Break. The starting lineup has proven itself to be pretty effective, but the bench consistently drops the ball.In both the second and fourth quarters, the bench took the Magic out of the game. It turned a one-point first-quarter deficit into a 17-point deficit. It allowed a five-point lead to grow to 10 and take the Magic virtually out of the game. There is little player movement and little ball movement stunted the Magic during an otherwise incredible offensive performance.It is not hard to see why the team struggled so much. Mario Hezonja went 1 for 10 and D.J. Augustin went 3 for 8. There are just not many more offensive weapons besides those two. And so those 10-plus minutes they are in the game leading the bench unit, it seems the Magic are praying to stay afloat.At this point, if Orlando is truly trying to win games, coach Frank Vogel needs to adjust his rotations to bolster the lineup.. .

The Toronto Raptors were on fire from the start. DeMar DeRozan scored 18 of his 36 points in the first quarter and kept pouring it on the Magic from there. Orlando was unable to get stops consistently. The 132 points represent the most points Orlando has given up all season.Toronto shot 59.0 percent from the floor. But the Raptors made their big inroads from beyond the arc — hitting 10 of 15 on 3-pointers. That is efficient shooting. And many of them were really good looks — open looks. Toronto ripped Orlando apart. The Raptors forced switches and took advantage of every mismatch and every turnover the Magic committed.The only weakness was Toronto’s own defense. The Raptors found enough defense to win. They got stops and the Magic ran out of gas. Toronto was just coasting to victory, easily finding the shots they wanted.. 45-29. 4th East. TORONTO RAPTORS. A-