Toronto Raptors vs. Orlando Magic Final Score: 96 – 111

Nwora and Trent Jr. have strong performances, but it’s not enough to overcome the inspired Orlando team

The Toronto Raptors closed out the series with the Orlando Magic, falling for the third time, and seventh straight. The shorthanded roster continues to try to make the best of a bad situation, taking their opportunities to learn and develop as the season starts to wane.

For Toronto, Jordan Nwora and Gary Trent Jr. were the dominant performers. Nwora had good defensive effort throughout the game, and led the Raptors with 18-7. GTJ chipped in with 15-5-3 and 2 steals, and had a number of creative offensive plays out of his repertoire.

Orlando’s biggest difference makers in this matchup were Paolo Banchero who finished with 29-6-5 and Franz Wagner who had 22-9-5. Banchero continues to impress in his first all-star season, maintaining a level head throughout the matchup and picking his spots effectively. Despite the presence of plenty of young talent on the roster, he continues to emerge as a leader on the floor.

Orlando won the jump ball, and Franz Wagner was aggressive from the tip, with a shot right at the rack on the first possession. He continued to battle on the boards and be a presence in the paint on offence, being dominant fairly early. In similar fashion to the previous matchup on Friday, Orlando’s offence centred on shots in the paint, with their first 12 of 15 points all coming from that area of the floor.

Toronto struggled early, as the Magic defence was getting back and set rapidly, picking up full court, and fighting over screens. As a result, Toronto turned the ball over 4 times in the first four minutes of the game, forcing a timeout. They got organized after the stoppage, and dialled up their effectiveness at pace. Sparked by a steal and tough and-one by Gary, Toronto went on a 7-0 run, bringing them back within a possession.

Kelly Olynyk continued to demonstrate his leadership and veteran savvy. Early on, he had a number of tough baskets, including one where he demonstrated classic fundamental footwork on a step through that beat Banchero. He also consistently looked for his teammates, setting up a number of actions for cutters.

The biggest struggle for Toronto in the first was from beyond the arc, going 1-8 with the singular 3-pointer coming from Ochai. The bench unit held their own in the final minutes of the quarter, and a circus shot by Quickley in the last minute tied them up briefly, finishing the quarter 24-26 after Mo Wagner bullied his way into a layup.

To start the second, Gradey Dick opened up scoring with a mid-range shot, and for each basket Orlando made, Toronto was able to answer. With the return of the Magic’s starters to the floor, they were able to build a slight lead, but the Raptors changed defensive looks and matched their intensity, returning to within one possession of their opponent.

The Raptors were able to draw some crafty fouls, getting into the bonus with five minutes left in the quarter, but unfortunately weren’t able to use that to their advantage too much. Gradey Dick was able to cash in the second 3-pointer of the game for the Raps, who were continuing to struggle from distance to the extent that they were hesitant in taking them.

The quarter continued with a back and forth by both teams, with offensive contributions from each of the Raptors on the court. Orlando was able to make a couple tough shots at the end, with a long range shot by Caleb Houstan giving Orlando the 52-47 edge headed into the locker room.

At the start of the second half, Toronto’s defence was aggressive, but struggled offensively, missing their first 6 shots from the field. Orlando was able to build a 10 point lead early on, forcing a timeout. The Magic’s momentum continued to build, quieted only briefly by a 3-pointer by Gary, and an and-one by Quickley. Toronto continued to rely on pace, trying to get back to score before the Magic could set their defence, and it seemed to be the only way they were able to be successful.

Unfortunately, the third quarter took a turn for the worse with increased shotmaking by Orlando, who managed to find yet another gear on defence as well. Their lead continued to grow, and with Olynyk picking up his fourth foul, the Magic’s size continued to be a dominant factor. Out of a timeout, Nwora single-handedly scored the next 10 points for the Raptors before Ramsey chipped in with a flush.

On the next play, Gradey Dick was able to cash in a corner 3-pointer, but despite their improved offence, Orlando maintained a double digit lead 87-73.

The fourth quarter felt somewhat uneventful, with the Magic continuing to dominate at both ends of the floor. Kelly Olynyk and Gary Trent Jr. helped improve the shooting splits from distance, but Toronto wasn’t able to dig themselves out of the deficit.

Despite good effort and some creative offensive plays, it wasn’t enough to overcome a fully engaged Orlando team. Late in the quarter, down by 20 points, both teams substituted their bench in to play out the last couple minutes. The Magic cruised easily to a 15 point victory, continuing to build hope in what they are capable of and their post season aspirations.

As the season starts to wind down, the final fourteen games of the season will probably look somewhat similar to this one. Hopefully for guys like GTJ who are building to their next contract, it can be a great opportunity for them to showcase their talent and capabilities to maximize what they’ll get.

Now, the Raptors have a few days off before they play 5 of the next 6 games at home. They’ll face Sacramento on Wednesday, at 7:30pm on TSN.