Toronto Raptors vs. Orlando magic: Game preview, TV channel, injury report, start time | NBA.com
The Raptors welcome the Orlando Magic into Scotiabank Arena Sunday afternoon. It is the first meeting between the teams since Orlando used a big performance from Nikola Vucevic to hand Toronto its biggest loss of the season (29 points).
Vucevic has been excellent all season, earning the first All-Star selection of his career by averaging career bests of 20.5 points, 12.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.2 blocks per game. Thanks in part to the career year from its All-Star centre, the Magic are within two games of the East’s final playoff spot with just over 20 games remaining in the season.
After Vucevic, Orlando has benefitted from the offensive contributions of D.J. Augustin, Aaron Gordon, Evan Fournier and former Raptor Terrence Ross – three players that each average at least 11.0 points per game.
While Gordon is the team’s second-leading scorer at 15.8 points per game, Fournier has emerged as the team’s go-to guy in late-game situations. The 26-year-old Frenchman is averaging 15.1 points per game and is 5-for-9 on shots to tie the game or take the lead in the final minute of the fourth quarter or overtime this season, one of which came against Toronto on Nov. 20.
After a tough one-point home loss to the Bulls, the Magic will look to get back on track as they begin a two-game road trip Sunday. Orlando is 11-17 away from
Magic look to shrug off loss to Bulls as they prepare for Raptors – Orlando Sentinel
The Magic (27-33) lost some ground Friday as the Hornets and Pistons won. The loss also dropped the Magic from ninth to 10th, just percentage points behind the Miami Heat.
The Heat’s loss on Thursday had pushed the Magic into ninth.
Still, Magic center Nikola Vucevic said Orlando is a “great example” of how quickly things can change in the NBA.
“We were 12 games under .500, everybody thought we were out and then we go on a great run and start playing some of the best ball in the league,” he said. “Last night [Friday] we slipped, so maybe tomorrow we’ll go and play a great game. It’s just the way it is in the NBA. You have to have a short memory.”
Winning the bounce-back game Sunday in Toronto against the Raptors will be a tall order.
The game tips off at 3:30 p.m. and can be seen on Fox Sports Florida.
The Raptors (44-16) are riding a seven-game win streak and have been on an upward trajectory since winning Jan. 5 in Milwaukee. The Raptors are 8-2 over their past 10 games and 16-4 over their past 20 games.
Only the Warriors and Bucks with 17-3 marks have been better over that 20-game stretch.
The Magic can lean on their previous meetings with the Raptors: a 93-91 loss in late November and a 116-87 victory in late December. Both games were at Amway.
Raptors have been finding their rhythm, with or without their head coach | The Star
Nurse hadn’t planned to end the first game of a critical stretch of the regular season sitting in his office, watching his team play on a monitor. But arguing a third-quarter foul call earned Nurse the technical foul that got him bounced from the game and forced his understudies to fill in.
“They did great,” Nurse said. “As a head coach I would hope that my guys know what to do if they ever get the opportunity.”
That development move put the Raptors in a difficult position. They were missing their head coach entering the late phases of a high-leverage game, with a squad still working to integrate newcomers like Marc Gasol and Jeremy Lin. But the team rebounded for a 120-117 win in DeMar DeRozan’s emotionally charged return to Toronto, and the Raptors enter Sunday’s game against the Orlando Magic looking to further ingrain the continuity that has buoyed a seven-game win streak.
Shooting guard Danny Green says it helps when the team’s newest pieces are also NBA veterans with high hoops IQ.
“It’s easier for them to work themselves in (with) the fact that they’re experienced,” Green said. “J-Lin and Marc are very smart basketball players, and they’ve got some years in this league. They’re very experienced and they understand the game. It’s easier for them to adapt and adjust to what we’re doing.”
Magic, Raptors trying to shake off All-Star rust
On Friday night, the Raptors topped San Antonio 120-117 in Toronto. Kawhi Leonard scored the go-ahead points against his former team on a dunk after a steal with 15 seconds remaining and added two free throws in the final second to finish with a game-high 25 points, 19 in the second half.
“I think we act like we’re expecting to figure out a way to win a lot lately,” said Raptors coach Nick Nurse, who was ejected in the third quarter after receiving two technical fouls. “I like that about us and the other thing is, we have some guys that can play a little bit better, right? A little rust, a little whatever All-Star break, but you know that Kawhi’s 8-for 23 is not a normal night and Marc Gasol was just out of whack.”
“We just grinded it away,” Leonard said. “Kyle (Lowry) told us we were going to win this game. We all believed that we were and you know, (Friday) was like a playoff game and we had to grind it out all the way to the end.”
A major reason for the playoff atmosphere was the hype over the return of former Raptors fan favorite DeMar DeRozan for his first game in Toronto since he was traded, with Jakob Poeltl, to the Spurs for Leonard and Danny Green during the offseason.
In Orlando, the Magic lamented mistakes that cost them a chance to extend their winning streak.
They committed 12 turnovers in the first half, leading to 11 points for the Bulls, and they were 13 of 24 from the free thow line.
“I think that’s more a product of again, not playing for eight days,” Magic coach Steve Clifford said. “We’re not going to shoot 54 percent from the line many nights. If we do we’re in trouble.”
Clifford also held himself accountable for not having 7-foot All-Star center Nikola Vucevic on the court when Chicago center Robin Lopez grabbed a rebound and laid it in to give the Bulls a 108-106 lead with 8.7 seconds remaining.
“You can say whatever at the end, free throws, fouling, all that stuff,” Clifford said. “Nobody made a bigger mistake in that game than me. I didn’t see that they put Lopez back in the game and we ended up too small out there, and we ended up giving up an offensive rebound.”
How the Spurs got away with Patty Mills defending Kawhi Leonard – Pounding The Rock
Somebody on the Spurs’ coaching staff is having a little too much fun. Using Patty Mills as a primary defender on Kawhi Leonard should not work. There’s simply no reason to believe that a 6’0”, 180 pound guard would have a chance of containing the guy who seemed on the verge of almost single-handedly ending the Warriors run just two years ago.
Patty has the 3rd worst defensive on-off numbers on the team, behind only Marco Belinelli and Dante Cunningham, per Cleaning the Glass. He struggles to stop penetration and is especially vulnerable to mismatches. And yet, for the most part, the plan worked.
It wasn’t the Spurs’ first option, though. Just as in their first matchup, Derrick White took Leonard from the tip, and continued to give him problems. In the 11 minutes the two shared the floor on Firday night, Leonard scored 6 points on 7 shooting possessions with an assist and a turnover. But with Derrick on a minutes restriction as he returns from injury, the Spurs were unable to rely on Derrick to mirror Leonard’s minutes this time.
So when Derrick went to the bench just 5 minutes into the game, Patty Mills took the job. Leonard got the ball on the 2nd possession after the substitution, and showed exactly why that matchup should be unsustainable.
Five thoughts recap: Toronto Raptors 120, San Antonio Spurs 117 – Raptors HQ
When DeMar DeRozan was traded this past summer my wife said, “well, I guess I won’t hear you yelling “F–k, DeMar!” at the TV from the other room anymore, referring to my penchant for hurling expletives every time DeRozan settled for a jumper or botched a critical possession.
He had three such cases in the closing 90 seconds last night — missing a midrange J over Lowry; a turnover as he dribbled up court, leading to a Kawhi Leonard go-ahead dunk; and then beating Danny Green one-on-one only to pass out to Davis Bertans, who missed the go-ahead jumper. (DeRozan did have a great dish to Marco Bellinelli in there that speaks to his improved playmaking.)
Funny thing is, while I certainly don’t miss those plays… I can’t deny that I felt bad, or at the very least uncomfortable, watching them unfold. As much as I got used to the frustration of those plays, obviously, when he was a Raptor I never wanted DeMar to fail. There was a lot of internal conflict last night; I’m still a DeMar DeRozan fan, so of course I want to see him succeed. But I also want the Raptors to succeed. Is this how Dell Curry felt watching Steph and Seth in the three-point shootout? I don’t know, but my emotions were definitely all over the charts. When DeRozan went at Lowry? When Leonard went at DeRozan? How does basketball make you feel these things so deeply?
Even the fact that DeRozan finished with 23 points on 12 shots and Leonard finished with 25 on 23 shots had me feeling confused.
At least this time out, the action on the court matched the intensity of the emotions!
What we learned from the Spurs loss to the Raptors – Pounding The Rock
DeMar, in spite of the unfortunate ending, looked like he was back to his old self tonight and that is nothing but good news for the Spurs. His shot was falling and, as a result, he was really able to facilitate things on the offensive end. The best version of the Spurs offense has the ball starting in DeMar’s hands with good things flowing from there. I’m still refusing to get worried about the idea that we still have yet to really see both DeMar and LaMarcus play great at the same time because, honestly, we’ve all suffered enough. The DDR-LMA harmonic convergence is coming. We’re building to it. You gotta believe.
Jeremy Lin, the Toronto Raptors Chronicles: Flying Under the Radar, Which is Good | Sportige
I liked seeing Lin stick to the plan, which was attacking the basket, and finding creative ways to eventually get what he wanted after early unsuccessful attempts. Everything opens up for him and his team when he creates open paths to the hoop, Today was more impressive because it happened through set offense, while in his first game we saw him a lot more earning his bread in transition.
What’s not to like? Lin’s shooting. The shot selection was good, he didn’t force anything except for a shot or too early. But in a season that started so well for him in that aspect, it’s a shame to see his percentage continuously drop.
Lin’s stats this season: 53 games, 10.7 points in 19.8 minutes per game. 2.4 rebounds, 3.5 assists while shooting 46.3% from the field, 31.9% from three and 85% from the line.
Raptors news: Danny Green thinks Toronto can be 'great' due to new additions and team chemistry
“I think we can be great. We just made two great additions to our team in Marc Gasol and Jeremy Lin. Both of those guys are great pieces. We just need to keep building that chemistry as we go through the ups and downs of the season. We also need to keep everyone healthy. Fred [VanVleet] just went down – he just had surgery [on his thumb], which I think went well. Hopefully we’ll be able to get him back sooner than later; I’m hoping three or four weeks, but they’re saying five or six.”
“There aren’t many guys in that [Most Improved Player] conversation. I guess Derrick Rose, but Derrick Rose was an MVP and it’s hard to put a former MVP in that category. I think Pascal pretty much has that award on lock with the performances he’s had. And we should probably be talking about how he should’ve been an All-Star, especially after these recent performances.”
Pau has experience changing teams, while Marc had not done so since he was a throw-in before even stepping foot in the league when Pau went from Memphis to the Los Angeles Lakers.
“He’s come here and got traded here to try to help this team be better and try to win a championship. That’s the bottom line,” the elder Gasol told the Toronto Sun.
“So he understands that. It’s been, it’s going to be a transition and a little bit of a process for him because this isn’t a position or a role that he’s not used to, he hasn’t been in that role in a long, long, long time. But as long as the team wins and as long as the team has a chance to win a championship, I think he’s willing to compromise what he’s capable of doing individually for the good of the team.
“Marc is a great player, highly skilled and highly competitive and he’s at this point of his career, he just wants to get a chance to win a championship and that’s it.”
Spurs Trade Of Kawhi Leonard For DeMar DeRozan Highlighted By One Play
It’s almost amazingly equivalent to how this trade unfolded. The Spurs acquired DeRozan, a solid coup for a franchise that needed value for its star that had played just nine games and wanted out of San Antonio. While good, he’s not Leonard, who proved it with a quick, defensive swipe — as swift as his return to the top of the NBA’s mountain once the season started in April, and without pause for injury.
There’s a stark difference between these team-leading players. One has proven to be the driving force towards 50 and 60-win seasons, while the other co-authored the spotlight and could only push his team so far. Both talents are on a similar path now, except the co-leading effects come in a conference of 10 or 11 playoff-worthy teams.
Now, one team is in a superior position than the other for a title run. The Spurs still have an inside track to make the postseason, but a motivated Lakers squad and the rising Kings leave nothing concrete for April. Meanwhile, the Raptors have not lost a beat and stand greater chance at the second round, before running into one of the 76ers, Bucks or Celtics.
It was highlighted by one play from two players that encompassed the NBA’s biggest trade of the 2018 offseason. Leonard, and his team, is ahead of the talented DeRozan. It was apparent when the deal happened, even with questions of the former’s health, but this question became answered almost instantly.
