Orlando Magic Grades: Toronto Raptors 98, Orlando Magic 93
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.
81. Final. 93. 38. 98
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.
C+. The Orlando Magic knew they would need to find a way to get Nikola Vucevic going if they wanted any hope of winning this playoff series. They knew they would need his offense and shooting to loosen up the Toronto Raptors defense and free everything else up.<p>In the first quarter, they tried hard to set him up for quick duck-ins, post-ups and pick-and-pop plays. None of it seemed to work. In fact, the Raptors seemed to keep harassing and cajoling him into turnovers by pulling the chair or doubling him. His first quarter was a disaster and he looked hesitant to move or even pass the ball on offense. It was about as bad as Vucevic could play.</p><p>Then the second half, he got <a rel=. C. Orlando Magic. NIKOLA VUCEVIC
AARON GORDON. B. Kawhi Leonard was understandably the big story for the Orlando Magic entering the game. He torched them in Game 2 and was an offensive juggernaut unto himself. It would be tough for the Magic to do much of anything if they could not at least slow him down in some capacity. So give Aaron Gordon and the Magic’s defensive schemes all the credit for taking him slowly out of the game.<p>Leonard finished with 16 points on 5-for-19 shooting and six turnovers. A lot of that credit should go to Gordon. He was solid defensively and kept his feet and positioning. Leonard, for the most part, was taking jumpers when Gordon was defending him and did not play with the same level of aggression. This was a solid performance from Gordon.</p><p>His offense for long stretches was also something to behold. But he had his struggles. He scored only 10 points but added seven rebounds and seven assists. He was good at finding ways to get others involved when he could get downhill on Leonard or a switch onto a guard. Gordon still has to be better as a post-up option and limit his turnovers — four in the game.</p>. F. Orlando Magic
EVAN FOURNIER. F. <a href=. G/F. Orlando Magic
B. The Orlando Magic were turning the ball over and struggling to do much of anything moving on offense. This had the makings of another blowout from the get-go, silencing an Orlando crowd wanting desperately to cheer their team. That is when <a href=. F. Orlando Magic. JONATHAN ISAAC
B. The Toronto Raptors were close to matching their Game 2 performance in a lot of ways. The Orlando Magic were facing the danger zone. They had everything rolling, especially defensively. There is nothing wrong with how the Raptors are playing. They have made everything difficult for the Magic throughout the last two games.<p>This is still the biggest key for Toronto. The Raptors are the better team, they know it and they force the Magic to scramble and scratch just to stay competitive in these games. That can lead to some complacency. About the only issue the Raptors have now is their penchant for fouling in this series. That has given Orlando some hope. Some.</p><p>The Raptors’ offense may not be humming at the greatest rate. Kawhi Leonard struggled to make shots and the bench gave them virtually no scoring. But someone is always there to step up. This time it was Pascal Siakam. He was key in the Raptors 16-0 run, scoring seven points there. Danny Green had seven more in that push. Orlando had no answers for him when they switched either Jonathan Isaac or Aaron Gordon off him.</p>. TOR leads series 2-1. Game 4: Sunday at Orlando. TORONTO RAPTORS
Next. Orlando Magic await the sixth man x-factor in Game 3. dark
The Raptors lead the best-of-seven series 2-1. Game 4 is Sunday at Amway Center at 7 p.m.