Raptors at Magic
The Toronto Raptors will try to recover from one damaging loss and deliver payback for another when they visit the Orlando Magic on Friday. The Raptors, who lost by one point at home against the struggling Magic on Sunday, blew an 18-point second-half lead at Boston on Wednesday and fell 109-104.
It was their seventh loss in the last nine games, but coach Dwane Casey feels that his team is close to turning things around. "I thought our guys battled, I loved the fight, the scrap," Casey told reporters. "We have to continue that, get everybody healthy, (get) guys off the minutes restrictions, and then we'll go to war." Leading scorer DeMar DeRozan (ankle) is the primary concern, having missed five of the last six games, but he will be re-examined in Orlando and is expected to take part in Friday's shootaround. The win at Toronto was one of three in the past 15 games for the Magic, who started a two-game homestand with a 98-88 loss to Indiana on Wednesday.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, TSN (Toronto), FSN Florida (Orlando)
ABOUT THE RAPTORS (30-20): Kyle Lowry is carrying Toronto while DeRozan heals, recording at least 30 points in a career-high four straight games. Norman Powell has done his best to chip in by averaging 17.2 points in his five starts in place of DeRozan, who scored 22 points in the loss to the Magic this week. The Raptors won seven of their last eight games in Orlando, including a 30-point rout in December that saw DeRozan go for 31 points.
ABOUT THE MAGIC (19-32): Orlando fell to 8-16 at home with Wednesday's loss, tied for the second-worst mark in the NBA, and it came despite the return to the starting lineup of leading scorer Evan Fournier. He had missed eight straight games with a foot injury and served in a reserve role in Monday's loss at Minnesota, but is just 7-for-19 from the floor in his first two games back. Center Nikola Vucevic had 15 points and 15 rebounds versus the Pacers and is averaging 17.7 points, 12 rebounds and five assists in a three-game string of double-doubles.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Lowry needs five 3-pointers to surpass Morris Peterson's franchise record of 801.
2. Orlando is 5-4 against Atlantic Division opponents and 14-28 against all others.
3. Toronto entered Thursday fourth in the NBA in foul shooting (80.5 percent), while Orlando ranked 29th (71.8).