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Raptors 97, Magic 86: Toronto pulls away in final quarter for win

Orlando, playing without arguably their best player this season in J.J. Redick, who was out with an illness, was competive for three quarters before Toronto was able to take the game over in the fourth quarter for the victory.

DeMar DeRozan and Arron Afflalo
DeMar DeRozan and Arron Afflalo
John E. Sokolowski - US Presswire

The Magic, who trailed by as many as 12 points in the second quarter, came back to take the lead late in the third quarter and went into the fourth quarter with a 69-67 lead. The Raptors outscored the Magic 30-17 in the fourth quarter, shooting 12 of 22 (54.5%) from the field, while the Magic shot just 5 of 19 (26.3%). Orlando also committed five fourth-quarter turnovers.

DeQuan Jones returned to the starting lineup for the Magic after missing several games, and scored 7 points, all in the second half, but Orlando really missed Redick's sharpshooting. Three starters scored in double figures for the Magic, led by Glen Davis with 16 points on 8 for 17 shooting, and 12 rebounds. Reserve guard E'Twaun Moore shared scoring honors for the Magic, scoring 16 points along with 4 assists. Center Nikola Vucevic added 12 points with 6 rebounds and wing Arron Afflalo also scored 12 points. Point guard Jameer Nelson struggled, shooting just 3 of 13 from the field for 8 points, but had 9 assists.

Five players scored in double figures for the Raptors, who received strong guard play. Shooting guard DeMar DeRozan scored 20 points on 8 of 16 shooting along with 9 rebounds, and point guard Jose Calderon, starting for injured Kyle Lowry, was brilliant in distributing the ball with 18 assists, and just two turnovers. Calderon's 18 assists tied for the third-most assists in a game against the Magic, and was just the second time since 1998 that an opposing player had 18 assists against the Magic in a game, and the first since Steve Nash in 2009.

Toronto started quickly, jumping to a 32-22 lead after one quarter, as DeRozan scored 11 points. Afflalo and Vucevic combined to score 17 of Orlando's 22 points. The Magic trailed 49-41 at the half before outscoring the Raptors 28-18 in the third quarter to take the lead before running out of gas in the final quarter.

The Raptors outshot the Magic 47.5% to 40%, outscored the Magic 38-30 in the paint, and committed just ten turnovers compared to 16 for the Magic. The Raptors' bench also was a major factor, as their reserves combined for 34 points, with the Magic reserves contributing 28 points.