Sluggish Raptors turn it on in second half to beat Magic.
 | Amir Johnson, PF 24 MIN | 7-9 FG | 0-2 FT | 5 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 14 PTS | +21Johnny on the spot for putbacks, well positioned for pick-and-rolls. Aside from two long jumpers, I have no complaint about his game. |  |
 | Terrence Ross, SF 29 MIN | 3-7 FG | 2-2 FT | 3 REB | 0 AST | 1 STL | 1 BLK | 1 TO | 10 PTS | +17Same old story every time. Ross floats in and out of the game, picking his spots to contribute. Hit a big three to push the Raptors’ lead to eight late in the fourth. Could have done a better job defensively. |  |
 | Jonas Valanciunas, C 25 MIN | 2-8 FG | 6-8 FT | 11 REB | 1 AST | 0 STL | 2 BLK | 2 TO | 10 PTS | +18 Gotta finish more reliably around the basket. He just has to. Missed a lot of chippies around the basket that should almost always drop. Looked great for stretches as the rim-protector, as he blocked two shots and contested another in a stretch of three possessions in the second. | |
 | Kyle Lowry, PG 33 MIN | 5-12 FG | 9-11 FT | 3 REB | 5 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 21 PTS | +19Took over when needed. He had his way with a rookie guarding him, and tricked his way into free-throws at every opportunity. The key his performance was the zero turnovers. He put the ball in the right spots, which more often than not was DeRozan in the post. |  |
 | DeMar DeRozan, SG 30 MIN | 9-18 FG | 8-10 FT | 8 REB | 1 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 26 PTS | +20Dominant in the post. Absolutely dominant in the post. Evan Fournier will be licking his wounds for weeks after the way DeRozan bodied him. The Magic needed to send help on the interior but it never came. Solid defensively, too. One of DeRozan’s better all-around efforts. | |
 | Tyler Hansbrough, PF 19 MIN | 1-3 FG | 0-1 FT | 6 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 2 PTS | -3Good energy on the boards, especially offensively (he had 4). Banged in the post and got Channing Frye pretty pissed at him at one point. |  |
 | James Johnson, PF 19 MIN | 4-6 FG | 4-5 FT | 3 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 12 PTS | -9He’s great when he attacks the basket. That’s evidenced by his efficiency. Otherwise, solid minutes off the bench. | |
 | Patrick Patterson, PF 25 MIN | 1-7 FG | 0-0 FT | 8 REB | 2 AST | 0 STL | 1 BLK | 1 TO | 2 PTS | -5Yet another poor shooting night. He needs to find his shot because the second unit simply cannot score without his contributions. At least he chipped in on the glass. |  |
 | Greivis Vasquez, PG 18 MIN | 1-9 FG | 4-4 FT | 1 REB | 2 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 6 PTS | -7Came in, took a bunch of shots, didn’t run the offense very well, forced the Raptors’ starters to play more minutes as a result. |  |
 | Louis Williams, SG 17 MIN | 0-3 FG | 5-5 FT | 2 REB | 2 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 5 PTS | -4Not exactly the instant off the bench many hoped he would be. Pretty ineffective for most of the game and couldn’t get anything going playing pick-and-roll with Patterson and Hansbrough. Used his guile to draw a few fouls against a few young, jumpy Magic defenders. | |
 | Landry Fields, SG 1 MIN | 0-1 FG | 0-0 FT | 0 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 0 PTS | -2Missed a shot. That’s new. |  |
 | Dwane Casey Hated the strategy of playing two units. It makes no sense, and he never employed this strategy last season. Without a decent scoring big, the bench unit looked abysmal on offense, which is reflected in the numbers put up by Vasquez and Williams. Last season, Casey staggered minutes, mixing in DeRozan to lead the bench at times. He needs to scrap this hockey lineup change strategy and move back to what he did last season. | |
Three Things We Saw
- The Raptors’ defense through two games has to be a slight concern. The Hawks are a tricky match-up and they’re very well-coached. However, the Magic are fairly awful, yet they were able to drop 98 points on the Raptors. Scoring hasn’t been an issue. The Raptors need to get back to being a disciplined defensive squad if they hope to replicate their success.
- Quite the bounceback performance from DeRozan. Although 26 points isn’t spectacular (by DeRozan’s standards), his post game allowed him to take most of his attempts in the post, and as long as he starts off in the mid-post, DeRozan’s footwork can earn him easy baskets in the paint.
- Raptors look to break their 15-game losing streak versus the Heat tomorrow. Remember the time Eddie House killed the Raptors with a random 30-point game?
