Kyle Lowry scored 17 points, Louis Williams added 18 and Amir Johnson chipped in 11 as the Toronto Raptors cruised to a 95-82 victory over the Orlando Magic Monday evening at the Air Canada Centre. After a lethargic first half performance that featured several disorderly possessions, it appeared a third straight victory was not in the cards. Fortunately, the Raptors amplified their defensive and offensive energy in the latter quarters that led to a convincing win over the fiesty Orlando Magic (10-17).
Toronto now improves to 19-6 on the season and sit comfortably atop the Atlantic Division, leading the Brooklyn Nets by 7 1/2 games – a foe they will host Wednesday night. The schedule begins to toughen up over the next few weeks, including challenging road matches against Chicago, Portland and Denver but it is pleasant to see the Raptors rout inferior teams consistently. Toronto won their 10th straight game over the Orlando Magic and are 3-0 in the season series.
Offense: B-
This was not Toronto’s finest offensive outing. The majority of scoring opportunities were sloppy and unorganized, particularly in the second quarter as the Raptors only mustered 16 points, yet managed to pull away with 40.5 FG% after halftime. The third and fourth quarter were a different story as the Raptors scored 51 points due to the strong play of Landry Fields, James Johnson, Pattrick Patterson and the ever reliable Lowry. The three point shooting was also a key cog in the triumph as Toronto connected on 11-30 attempts, good for a 36.7%. The free throw shooting wasn’t a cause for concern but needs to better than 66.7% going forward.
Defense: B
The Raptors held their opponent to under 100 points which is worthy of a “B”. 100 is the magic (no pun intended) number since Toronto is now 11-0 when they limit opponents under the century mark. Orlando was led by small forward Tobias Harris with 18 points and center Nikola Vucevic who scored 13 points. Fields, nicknamed “steady eddie” by broadcaster Jack Armstrong, was particularly noticeable on the defensive end by clogging passing lanes and assisting with strong help defense. The Raptors were also opportunistic and forced multiple steals, amassing 13 turnovers which led to 17 points.
Rebounding: B
39-36 was the rebounding margin for the Raptors in tonight’s matchup. Both frontcourts are not overly intimidating and it showed in the stats as not one player finished with double digit rebounding. The Raptors were led by Jonas Valanciunas and his nine rebounds while the Magic were propelled by Vucevic’s nine boards. Terrence Ross showcased his athleticism and collected six rebounds while Lowry contributed with five. As a whole, Toronto finished with 12 offensive rebounds which generated key second chance scoring down the stretch.
Game Ball: Louis Williams
Sweet Lou was at it again, hitting contested jumpers, stretching the floor with his elite three point shooting and making clutch baskets. Williams scored 18 points, grabbed three boards and dished out two assists and a steal on 6-14 shooting. The 28-year-old is a leading candidate for NBA sixth man of the year and has now averaged 18.2 points over the last five games. Keep up the good work Lou!
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