Magic at Raptors
The Orlando Magic and the Toronto Raptors are both coming off thrilling wins, but the Magic have at least gotten a chance to catch their breath. The Raptors will try to ride the momentum of an overtime victory when they host Orlando in the second of a back-to-back on Monday. Toronto is traveling back from New York after Kyle Lowry’s 21-point, 11-assist effort secured it a 95-90 overtime victory over the Knicks on Sunday.
The Magic stepped up against red-hot Atlanta on Saturday and held their ground, earning a 100-99 win when Tobias Harris’ jumper beat the buzzer. “When I walked in (to the arena) I said, ‘We’re going to get this win,’” Harris told reporters. “So it was the mindset that I had, and everybody on this team had the mindset that we were going to fight all the way to the end.” Harris put up 23 points and 13 rebounds in Toronto on Nov. 11 but it wasn’t enough as the Raptors grabbed a 104-100 victory.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FSN Florida (Orlando), TSN2 (Toronto)
ABOUT THE MAGIC (10-16): Orlando lost in Atlanta on Friday night and Harris was confident the Magic would not fall to the same team two nights in a row. “I think it just comes from the endless hours in the gym when no one is watching, getting those repetitions and getting those shots up,” Harris told the reporters of the source of his confidence. “(Saturday’s winner) is a pretty basic shot for me – a two-dribble pull-up jump shot – that I work on.” The 22-year-old forward has reached 20 points in three of the last five games.
ABOUT THE RAPTORS (18-6): Toronto did not need buzzer-beating dramatic to take out the Knicks on Sunday, it just had to hang on until overtime and let the defense take over down the stretch. The Raptors are not quite as explosive offensively with DeMar DeRozan out with a groin injury but Louis Williams averaged 20.5 points in the last two games – both wins – and Terrence Ross stepped up with a season-high 22 points on Sunday. Toronto has already beaten Orlando twice this season, posting a 108-95 win at the Magic on Nov. 1 in addition to the Nov. 11 triumph.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Raptors have won four straight and eight of the last nine in the series.
2. Toronto F Patrick Patterson has scored in double figures in four straight games.
3. Orlando C Nikola Vucevic (back) returned from a six-game absence on Saturday and collected 18 points and 11 rebounds.