Orlando Magic Recap: Orlando Magic 101, Toronto Raptors 99
This game was exactly the type of effort that fans have been looking for from the Magic most of the season. Orlando fought back from an early double-digit deficit and had a lead of four in the fourth quarter. However, that lead did not expand thanks to Orlando’s display of youth. Tobias Harris turned over the ball on a lazy pass to Victor Oladipo (which Lou Williams was sitting on the entire way) and Evan Fournier stepped out of bounds on a play out of a timeout that was specifically designed for him. Oladipo hit a cold-blooded three with his team down two and 13 seconds left to give the Magic a brief lead. However, he made the mistake of leaving Lou Williams and helping Nikola Vucevic corral DeMar DeRozan (who scored 29 points, by the way). Williams drained the 3-pointer in the corner, and it was a play Oladipo was still kicking himself over after the game.
Three things we saw in the Raptors game and a start of the weekend mail | Toronto Star
We all know how impressive DeMar DeRozan’s been since the beginning of March, right? I’d say it’s been the best five or six weeks of his career and I’ve seen the whole thing. The one thing that stands out to me – and after watching the final few minutes last night I’m sure you all noticed it, too – is that he’s always attacking the basket. Remember back in the day? He’d often shy away from contact and would invariably fade away from the rim rather than go to it. Recall a game he won in Orlando last season, I think it was? He was lauded for making a buzzer-beating shot but even that one was a baseline fade going away from everything. Last night – and all this month – he’s been relentlessly going through the paint, inviting fouls and, not surprisingly, he’s getting more than his fair share of calls. A solid improvement that won them a game last night.
Raptors-Miami Heat: Saturday game preview | Toronto Star
Miami suffered a crushing home loss to Chicago on Thursday, blowing a 19-point first-half lead in a defeat that likely ended their slim playoff hopes. Coach Erik Spoelstra called Saturday the biggest game of the season for the Heat . . . Ex-Raptor ChrisBosh’s season is over because of a blod clot on his lung . . . The availability of Kyle Lowry and Amir Johnson for the Raptors is up in the air as both are coming back from injury . . . These two teams have split two games so far this season . . . Miami has won 16 of the last 17 games between the teams, but the bulk of them came when they had LeBron James.
Brooklyn Nets keep steady in playoff race with 117-80 route over Washington – NetsDaily
By Harry Potter terms, the Brooklyn Nets performed "expelliarmus" on the Washington Wizards Friday night, which means to disarm another wizard. They certainly disarmed them of their basketball "magic" with a 117-80 route over Washington, which now keeps them a game ahead of the Indiana Pacers for the eighth seed in the East with only four games remaining. They looked like a team with a legitimate sense of urgency Friday night against the Washington Wizards. Perhaps it was because their Russian owner Mikhail Prokhorov looked on for the second straight game? Or maybe because their playoff hopes depended on it. Either way, they got it done and it was all thanks to a huge first half. Despite falling in a 5-0 hole early, the Nets answered with a 31-9 run to end the first quarter — leading 31-14 after one with Brook Lopez leading the way, as per usual. The 14 points is the lowest Brooklyn has allowed in a first quarter all season.
Recap: Raptors overcome ugly play, beat Magic 101-99 – Raptors HQ
Patrick Patterson continued his three-month-long downward spiral towards the mean with a 1-6 night from beyond the arc, dipping to 31 percent from distance since the new year. Terrence Ross will be joining Amir Johnson's Bad Ankles Support Group after leaving the game prematurely. And although Lou Williams drained the game winning corner-three off of a feed from DeMar DeRozan, the overall play from the trio of Williams, Greivis Vasquez and the returning Kyle Lowry wasn't fantastic. The triumvirate combined to go 12-36 from the field and 4-14 from three. Lowry also played some horrendous defense on Oladipo on the three-pointer that put the Magic ahead 99-98 with 13 seconds to go; he left far too much space in anticipation of a drive, allowing the budding Magic star to drain the triple with ample time and space. But though it looked grotesque at times.
Raptors-Heat Preview – Yahoo Sports
"Individually, each guy in here at some point has been told they're not good enough, has been told they can't do it," Wade said. "So individually, everyone has that mentality. … That's the reason guys haven't packed it up and said 'This season's over.'" They could have in July, when LeBron James left Miami and returned to Cleveland. They could have in December, when Josh McRoberts was lost for the season to a ligament tear in his right knee. They could have in February, when Chris Bosh was ruled out for the year because of blood clots on a lung. Yet at practice Friday, the Heat (35-44) were still working. They have three games left and sit 10th in the East, two spots outside of the postseason bracket. Miami is two games back of eighth-place Brooklyn and one behind Indiana. Both have three games left.
Williams lifts Raptors past Magic – Article – TSN
"The things we wanted to work on, we executed," Toronto coach Dwane Casey said. "Our offence down the stretch was fine, but this year, it's defence that is our whole mantra. " Williams hit the winner, but DeRozan served it up, after twice putting the Raptors ahead by himself in the final minute. DeRozan capped a 6-0 run with a jumper from the free throw line to give Toronto a 96-94 lead with 50 seconds to play. His driving, reverse layup pushed the Raptors ahead 98-96 with 18.9 seconds to go. With Toronto down 99-98, he drove into traffic and threaded a pass between defenders to a wide-open Williams for the winning basket. The Raptors shot 30 3-pointers in the game and hit only nine, but made the one that counted. "You can't make every shot, but we kept shooting," DeRozan said. "Whenever I draw that much attention, I try to get my teammates going. I saw Lou in the corner and that was the thing to do."
Kyle Lowry’s return spurs Raptors win over Magic | Toronto Star
A notable addition for Toronto on Friday was Kyle Lowry, the Raptors’ star point guard, who returned to the starting backcourt against Orlando after missing nine games with back spasms. With Terrence Ross twisting his ankle and leaving the game in the fourth, Lowry played more minutes than coach Dwane Casey had planned and finished with 10 points, seven assists and a remarkable eight rebounds. “That was huge. He had a little juice in the tank,” Casey said. “We wanted to get him some run, but we didn’t want him going 33 minutes, and that was a major concern going down the stretch. That was the only negative, that he played more than we wanted.” With a bag of ice wrapped around his lower back after the game, Lowry admitted to some soreness but said it’s actually not as bad as he expected. He said he was happy with his comeback game, and is hoping to get more comfortable flowing with the ball movement on offence and recovering his touch on catch-and-shoot plays.
Toronto Raptors: Learning From Last Year's Playoffs
Without a defined star, many budding players had the chance to prove themselves. DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry rose to the top, becoming elite guards. While the two became leaders, they weren’t stars in the way that Gay was. It was not all about them. They wanted to win as a team more than anything. With heightened chemistry and cohesion came a new team. The Raptors went on a tear, grabbing the third seed in the Eastern Conference and the franchise’s best record ever. Though they were booted in the first round by the Brooklyn Nets, the recently formed squad learned valuable lessons about playing in the playoffs.
Lou Williams late three-pointer gives the Raptors the win, 101-99 – Orlando Pinstriped Post
After falling behind by as many as 12 in the first quarter, and 11 in the early portions of the second, the Magic began to stage their comeback. Shooting 14-of-21 from the field, coupled with improved defense allowed the Magic to have a big quarter, outscoring the Raptors by 12 to grab a two point lead heading into halftime. The Magic continued to struggle with turnovers, coughing it up four more times in the quarter to push their total to 10 for the game. The hosts also continued to get good minutes from their bench, with Evan Fournier knocking down all four of his shots in the quarter to push his total to a team high 13 for the game. DeMar DeRozan did much of the damage for the Raptors, scoring nine of their 20 in the quarter to finish the half with a game high 15.
Magic Fall to Raptors in Back-and-Forth Thriller | Orlando Magic
Magic standout guard Victor Oladipo, the hero of Wednesday’s win against the Chicago Bulls with his last-second layup, drilled a 3-pointer with 13.8 seconds to play for what seemed like it was going to be the game-winning points. However, Lou Williams – long a Magic killer – responded with a 3-pointer with 9.3 seconds to play and Oladipo’s final shot was partially blocked, forcing the Magic to try and stomach a 101-99 loss to the Raptors. The stunning result had an impact on two significant streaks. It ended Orlando’s winning streak at three games – two of those wins coming against teams headed to the playoffs. Also, Orlando (25-54) saw its unsightly three-year losing streak to Toronto (47-32) continue. Even Fournier, who was playing his second game after missing six weeks with a hip injury, was huge off the bench with 18 points and three 3-pointers. Gordon, the second-youngest player in the NBA, continued his late-season surge with 13 points and six rebounds.
