Reaction: Magic 90, Raptors 93

Beast mode early in the game when he was Calderon’s main target. The up-tempo game that the Raptors shifted into didn’t suit him too well, and he ended up missing a lot of looks near the rim which he usually makes. Solid effort again, though, as he set the interior tone early with his hard play. He`s probably the Raptors best passing big, I call for more plays where he gets to make some decisions. Bold, I know.

Busted finger on his right hand, left the game early never to return. Grabbed a hard-fought offensive rebound to start the game.

Didn`t ever look for his offense and yet managed to have a highly efficient game with the usual assist total. The defensive play left a lot to be desired, but it says a lot about his current form when you call his performance tonight one of his slower nights.

Torched by Afflalo at will. That play at the top of the key where Afflalo drove by him in slow motion might be his worst moment as a Raptor.

One of this older style games where his FTs were more key than his field goals, especially in a couple stretches in the fourth. His jumper wasn`t clicking but the guard scoring was nicely complemented by Ross and Anderson, reducing the impact of DeRozan`s inefficient performance.

The Raptors-do on the back of his head must`ve weighed him down in the first half. He came on stronger in the second half and hit one of those dare-you-to-shoot jumpers that the defense loves to give him. Until he got that last offensive rebound off of DeRozan’s miss with 42 seconds left, I was quite disappointed in his rebounding position and technique. Goetz-product (my alma mater, baby!), Nicholson, struggled tonight and Amir`s length had something to do with it.

Casey went small after Valanciunas went out which got him some playing time. He mistook that as a green light to shoot every time he touched it. He was miserable, of course.

Poor man-defense from a guy I don`t expect much defense from, so I don`t know where that leaves him in my eyes. I judge him mostly on his offense and how he manages to run the team, and on that account he was OK in the sense that the ball never got stuck.

He’s like our Tony Allen in a way, gritty dude who likes to take the baseline, accepts contact even though he can’t quite finish against it. He’s got tremendous confidence in himself and you get the sense that despite being a D-Leaguer and all, the team gets a lift from his play. Didn’t do much except get hit going to the rim for a few FTs.

The reveal continues. The hop in the step, the spunky attitude, and a jump shot that’s finally putting him on the cusp of being the three-point shooter the Raptors haven’t had since Mo Pete. The defensive knack is now becoming consistent, with two big steals in the fourth highlighting that front. The catch-and-shoot is coming into view too, that three he hit early off the catch was pure beauty and the put-back dunk was Vincish.