The Toronto Raptors played down to the level of their competition last night. Fortunately for our team, they only did so in the second half. As a result, the Raps chalked up their third straight victory since the NBA restart, defeating the Orlando Magic 109 – 99.
I have a pet theory: look at the free-throw numbers to tell how interested the players were in a game’s result. The Raps made 70% of their attempts, the Magic a bit worse. For reasons unknown, the intensity wasn’t there for this game, and many moments were unwatchable. Pascal Siakam was charged with 7 turnovers while scoring 5 baskets. Huh?
Kyle Lowry possesses a remarkable ability to step forward as a scorer, or not, depending on how his mates are doing. This game saw his points suffer, but his 10 assists more than compensated. Many of those were to Fred VanVleet, who’s been the most consistently effective Raptor in the bubble. Steady Freddie worked inside and out to drop 21 efficient points, while also chalking up 10 dimes.
“jump on them quick”
This game was largely over after the first quarter. The Magic, who fell behind by 21 in Q1 against Indiana, once again had great difficulty finding their feet early. This time the margin favoured the Raps by 15. A game which was supposed to feature impressive 3-point shooting instead displayed deep bricks.
The Raptors have more tools to score than long balls. They slipped inside for 8 baskets in the paint, as Marc Gasol challenged the defensive skills of Nikola Vucevic.
Orlando was able to make some challenged shots in Q2, but the swarming Raptors D wasn’t letting up. The teams went to break with Toronto holding a 20-point bulge. No Magic man had more than 2 baskets, and they were 2 of 16 from beyond the arc.
Tie a rope & hang on
The Magic began Q3 like a house on fire, while the Raptors needed more than 4 minutes to record their first bucket. Toronto’s lead was quickly sliced to 10 points. The Raps are not prone to panic, despite some lax moments on D and inaccurate passes. They survived the Magic’s spell of quality play, and played even thereafter.
The fourth quarter was a desultory affair. Orlando appeared ready on several occasions to catch up, but Toronto always had a response. The closest the Magic got was 7 points, while the game devolved into a string of trips to the free throw line.
This was not even close to a stirring victory for the Raptors, but they can’t all be. Nor can a team always play its best ball, but it must gut out the wins anyway. We’ll take it.
Tip-Ins
The referees were as disengaged as the teams. Seldom have I seen so many players getting pushed without a whistle.
If Terrence Ross is ever going to be the gunner he should, Orlando needs to find him a running mate. Toronto defenders were all over him beyond the arc, leading to some difficult shot attempts. It’s hard to be a Splash Brother when there’s only one of you.
Norman Powell offered encouraging signs of a return to the all-purpose swingman we love, including hitting 3 of 6 long balls.
The Raptors face the Boston Celtics on Friday night. If our team plays like they did against Orlando, we’re in for a rough outing.
