On a chilly Friday night, the Toronto Raptors came into town after steam rolling over the red hot Los Angeles Lakers. The Raptors were again without Otto Porter Jr., who has been sidelined the past 10 games due to a dislocated toe. As for the Orlando Magic, they were coming off of a win against one of the better teams in the western conference, the Los Angeles Clippers. The injuries for the Magic’s squad have remained the same with the list including: Wendell Carter Jr., Gary Harris, Chuma Okeke, and Johnathan Isaac. On a side note, Jonathan Isaac (hasn’t played in over 860 days) is as close to returning as he’s ever been after being assigned to the Magic’s G-League affiliate (Lakeland Magic).
Hot Start
From the tip it was off the races, as Pascal Siakam and Franz Wagner were leading the box score for their respective squads. The Magic scored 37 first quarter points on highly efficient shooting: 66.7% field goal, and 60% from the three ball. As for the Raptors, they had a sluggish start in the first scoring 25 points. They amped it up going into the second, as the team combined for 38 points. Despite the fact that the Magic continued scoring at such an efficient rate, they ultimately let up their 14 point lead that once was. When the half winded down, both teams had three players with double digits in the scoring column. Toronto had Pascal Siakam with 16 points, Gary Trent Jr. with 15 points, and O.G. Anunoby with 10 points. Orlando had Franz Wagner with 18 points, Paolo Banchero with 15 points, and Cole Anthony with 13 points.
Wavering Third
The tone of the third quarter was reminiscent of the first, as the Magic yet again seemed to pull away from the Raptors as they amounted to their largest lead of the night by 20 points. Franz Wagner was at the forefront of building such a lead, as he dropped 14 of his 34 points of the night in that quarter alone. The Raptors once again had their resiliency at the test, and they prevailed. Pascal Siakam and Fred Vanvleet had shown their levels of disciplined play, combining for 17 points in an effort to trim the lead down to 6 points, which felt almost instantaneous. With the lead squandered and the momentum in favor for the away team, it seemed inevitable that the Raptors would steal the first meeting in Orlando.
Tight Fourth
To open up the final quarter of the night, both Gary Trent Jr. and Thaddeus Young nailed clutch threes to bring the lead down to a one possession game. The Magic responded with another combined effort, only this time coming from Paolo Banchero, Cole Anthony, and Markelle Fultz, which resultantly notched the lead back to double digits. Siakam did most of the heavy lifting in this period as he had totaled 11 points in the most crucial moment of the game. To assist with Siakam’s crucial 11 points, Anunoby capitalized on his free throws tying the game up (first tie since 2:20 in the 2nd quarter). The first of the two matchups came down to the wire (113-109), but missed opportunities from the Raptors in the final minute of the game cost them this one.
The Duel
The duel between Franz Wagner and Pascal Siakam was definitely a sight to see. Both players gave each other’s squads blows that were difficult to overcome at times. Siakam concluded the game flirting with a triple double: 36 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists. Wagner had 34 points on remarkable shooting splits: 80% field goal, 50% from three, and 100% from the charity stripe.
What’s Next?
The Toronto Raptors will remain in town for yet another meeting with the Magic. It’s almost guaranteed that the Raptors will come out with much more energy on the defensive side of the ball, as they are ranked 6th in the league as of now. On the season, Toronto is averaging 111.3 points per game while allowing for 110. The Raptors currently find themselves as the 9th seed in the eastern conference and are looming close to falling out of that mix if another loss is handed to them come Sunday.
Highlights
For more News about the Orlando Magic visit www.orlandomagic.com
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