I don’t really know how I feel about this Toronto Raptors team. On one end, they are playing inconsistent basketball and scraping by scrubby teams like the New York Knicks. On the other end, they are at the top of the conference without their leading scorer DeMar DeRozan, and continue to find ways to just win. This team is 18-6.
The Orlando Magic are in town as the Raptors look to continue a winning streak that should last 6 games against sub .500 clubs. With that being said, the Magic are actually not all that bad, as they sit at 10-16 and 9th in the East. All signs should point to a win, but the sloppiness the Raps have exhibited in DeRozan’s absence makes it hard to boast too much confidence. Let’s get to the Cage’s Keys to the Game:
Tobias Harris
Before this season, most people rightfully would have asked: ‘who’? Tobias Harris has certainly been a bright spot for the Magic this year, and is just coming off a game where he hit a game winner.
The guy has actually been pretty lethal, and went off for 23 points, 13 rebounds, and 5 assists against the Raptors last time out. James Johnson and Landry Fields will need to keep this guy in check, as he can really do it all.
Clean it up
Last game against the Knicks was a disaster on all accounts. The turnovers really need to come down, and the ball needs to stop sticking. I can’t emphasize this enough, even though it seems like I talk about it every time I write. Kyle Lowry cannot try to do it all himself. Guys like Terrence Ross and Jonas Valanciunas need to help him out. Because believe it or not, the Magic have a top 10 defense and will make the Raps pay for sloppiness.
Three ball
Without DeRozan, much of that slashing and free-throw attempts that drove the Raptors high PPG is gone. To compensate, the Raps have been launching a substantial amount of threes. That’s fine – make them.
X-Factor: Jonas Valanciunas
Nikola Vucevic is pretty bad-ass. The guy is averaging nearly 19-12, and will certainly prove to be a tough test for Jonas. JV absolutely needs to get revved up early on, otherwise Casey will end up resorting to Chuck Hayes. No disrespect to Chucky, but he doesn’t have the length, so it’s live or die by JV in this one.
