The Orlando Magic’s offense got going too late as the Toronto Raptors again smothered the Magic to take a 2-1 series lead in their playoff series.
Terrence Ross was catching fire. If the Orlando Magic were going to go down, they were going to go down firing. And there is no one the Magic want firing more than Terrence Ross.
With Kawhi Leonard bearing down on him, Terrence Ross worked to get free. He dribbled to his right then set up his killer crossover to his left and rose and fired. The three fell perfectly through the net and the Magic had improbably climbed all the way back to make it a three-point deficit.
Orlando needed one stop. And again it was the Magic’s defense on Leonard that would be under the microscope.
He again got the matchup he wanted on Aaron Gordon and sized him up. But his step-back fadeaway was no good. Aaron Gordon, who had defended Kawhi Leonard exceptionally throughout the game, got the stop he needed.
Orlando just needed the rebound. It felt like there were three Magic players surrounding where the ball would land. But it was Kyle Lowry sneaking in to grab it. The Orlando Magic had to foul and their hopes of a come-from-behind victory in Game 3 against the Toronto Raptors fell short 98-93 at the Amway Center on Friday.
The Magic overcame a lot to get to that point — a 17-point deficit and 12 with 4:44 to play, a 17-0 run in the third quarter that erased the Magic’s only lead of the game, Nikola Vucevic‘s early turnover struggles and the team’s overall inability to break down the Raptors’ length once again. But that is who this team is. In the playoffs, though, that little bit of imperfection is not enough.
Orlando found itself trailing early in the game as turnovers again plagued the team. It looked like the Magic were struggling to complete simple passes and that they would get overwhelmed again with the Raptors’ pressure defense and length.
The Magic’s willingness to attack the basket was their only saving grace — and a bit of a curse as blocks and steals deep in the paint led to fast-break opportunities. Orlando got to the foul line and created foul attempts. That actually got Nikola Vucevic going at least. His scoring binge — 14 of his 22 points came in the third quarter — helped push the Magic into the lead.
But it was still not quite enough. Not against this kind of Raptors team. Not with Pascal Siakam finding the switches he wanted and attacking off the dribble to score a career playoff-high 30 points on 13-for-20 shooting. Orlando just could not muster the offense to keep up even with a stellar defensive effort otherwise.
The Raptors lead the best-of-seven series 2-1. Game 4 is Sunday at Amway Center at 7 p.m.