Recap: Raptors are unable to conjure enough Magic, falling to Orlando, 113-103

The shorthanded Raptors’ valiant effort falls short as Gary Trent Jr.’s season-best scoring output goes to waste in another Toronto loss.

At this point in the season, the difference between winning and losing can simply come down to which team has a healthier roster.

In the case of Toronto and Orlando, the Magic won this game before it even tipped off.

In the first of two games in a home-and-away doubleheader between the teams, Orlando drew first blood with a 113-103 victory over the injury-depleted Raptors. The Magic received great production throughout the lineup. Franz Wagner led all Magic players with 19 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals. Paolo Banchero came close to notching his second career triple-double, finishing with 17 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists. Jalen Suggs scored 16 points to go along with 3 steals and a game-high +13.

For the Raptors, Gary Trent Jr. scored a season-high 31 points, including 7-of-11 from beyond the arc. Immanuel Quickley continued his improved play as a facilitator with his 4th game this month with double-digit assists. IQ finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Three Raptors scored in double figures off the bench, led by Jordan Nwora who finished with 14 points.

The pre-game presser with Raptors Head Coach, Darko Rajakovic, is normally filled with questions about player availability, Xs-and-Os, and scouting reports on the opponent. That was not the case tonight as Rajakovic spoke about the Barrett family as they grieve the tragic passing of RJ’s younger brother, Nathan. Before the game, the Raptors held a moment of silence.

With the Raptors season hurtling towards the draft lottery, most of the intrigue lately has been the availability of players. Scottie Barnes and Jakob Poeltl are essentially out for the season with left-hand injuries. It would surprise no one if Chris Boucher has played his last game as a Raptor of the year after sustaining an MCL injury last week. Further down the bench, D.J. Carton is still out with a right ankle sprain while Mouhamadou Gueye is on assignment with the 905. (The injury bug hit closer to home with our Editor, Chelsea Leite, unable to attend tonight’s game.)

Orlando, on the other hand, fielded a fully healthy roster. The Magic wasted no time showing Toronto why they’re in contention to host a playoff series, racing out to a 10-3 lead and inciting Darko Rajakovic to call his first timeout less than 2 minutes into the game.

The Raptors charged back into the game (and the lead) the only way they knew how — aggressive defense (4 steals) and in transition (8 fastbreak points) — taking a 27-24 lead into the first quarter break.

Toronto did an excellent job keeping Orlando’s All-Star, Paolo Banchero, in check. The reigning Rookie of the Year was held to 2 points on 1-of-6 shooting and 2 turnovers while playing the entire first quarter.

The Raptors carried its aggressive defense and timely fastbreak offense to grow the lead to nine, 37-28.

Another ripple effect of Toronto’s injury-decimated lineup is the lack of chemistry. By my count, there were five instances in the first half alone where a Raptor zigged when he was supposed to zag, leading to a Raptors turnover.

Orlando and its 4th-ranked defense prevented the Raptors from pulling away in the second quarter (as they did in Denver last week). The Magic held Toronto to 37% shooting the second frame — a number that looks even worse (21%) when removing the Raptors’ 4 field goals in transition. It’s not like Toronto was complaining. Considering the difference in healthy rosters, points are points, regardless of how they’re scored.

The Raptors stayed within striking distance at halftime, trailing 50-48, thanks in large part to its league-leading transition offense. Toronto outscored Orlando 20-7 in fastbreak points in the first half.

Toronto was led by its only healthy starters, Gary Trent Jr. and Immanuel Quickley. GTJ led all Raptors with 14 first-half points, while IQ continued his great point guard play of late with 8 points, 6 assists, and 2 steals over the first two quarters.

While the Raptors were able to bottle up Banchero, Orlando’s other rising star, Franz Wagner, scored 14 points and was a team-high +13 in the first half.

The second half started the same way the first half did with Orlando utilizing its size to overwhelm the undersized Raptors. The Magic scored 11 of the first 16 third-quarter points to push its lead to 61-53. Also like the first half, Toronto ratcheted up its defense to keep the Magic from growing the lead while scoring in transition to close the gap. An Ochai Agbaji fastbreak jam forced Orlando Head Coach, Jamahl Mosley to call a timeout as the Raptors closed the gap to 4 points.

A personal 8-0 run by Jordan Nwora, highlighted by back-to-back transition threes, gave the Raptors a 69-67 lead.

The Scotiabank Arena crowd was at its loudest when Nwora’s second triple fell….and quietest when Banchero answered with a three of his own a few seconds later. The Magic would go on to outscore the Raptors 17-4 to close out the third quarter and take an 84-73 lead into the final frame.

Early in the 4th quarter, each Raptor player on the floor was guarding someone on the Magic who was taller. Orlando’s advantage in length could not be overstated. On one sequence, Quickley had his floater blocked by Markelle Fultz. Jahmi’us Ramsey corralled the loose ball and tried to score at the rim, only to be swatted by Jonathan Isaac, ending in a shot clock violation.

For most of the game, whenever the Magic needed offense it would come in the paint where Orlando outscored Toronto, 52-42. However, as the Raptors made its final push and a Trent Jr. triple trimmed the deficit down to eight, it was beyond the arc where Orlando put the game away. Three-pointers by Wendell Carter Jr. and Jalen Suggs pushed the lead to 109-96, forcing a timeout and a stream of Raptors fans headed for the exits.

Considering how well the Raptors were able to defend Banchero — forcing him into 6 turnovers and 5-of-15 shooting — it must be deflating to see how full his stat line ended up being. On Sunday, these teams face each other again in Orlando. Toronto will, again, have to overcome a plethora of player absences, while also trying to replicate a positive defensive effort (all things considered). With winnable games dwindling and the injury report seemingly growing, the question is no longer whether or not the Raptors will finish with the 6th-worst record, but whether or not they can “catch up” to Portland, who are 4 games worse in the loss column.