DeRozan scores 31 as Raptors rout Magic
ORLANDO, Fla. -- All-Star guard DeMar DeRozan scored 31 points in just 30 minutes as the Toronto Raptors waltzed past the Orlando Magic 109-79 Sunday night at the Amway Center.
It was the third consecutive game DeRozan scored at least 30 points. He made 13 of 21 shots and added five rebounds and four assists, doing as he pleased against the outmatched Magic.
The Raptors (19-8) won for the fifth time in the last six games to maintain the second-best record in the Eastern Conference.
Kyle Lowry scored 16 points with 10 assists. Center Jonas Valanciunas also scored 16 points and grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds. Reserve guard Terrence Ross had 11 points with three 3-pointers.
Evan Fournier led the Magic (12-17) with 15 points. Reserve guard Elfrid Payton had 13 points and Serge Ibaka scored 10. Center Nikola Vucevic, also in a reserve role, scored 10 points and grabbed nine rebounds.
The Raptors never were seriously challenged in the second half as the Magic managed just 13 points in the third period and 15 points in the fourth.
The Raptors scored the first 10 points of the second half, including six by DeMarre Carroll, who was quiet in the first two periods. The Raptors never let the Magic back into the game, which ended with only reserves playing.
Toronto led 84-64 going into the fourth. The Magic made only 3 of 21 shots from 3-point range and they committed 19 turnovers, compared to Toronto's 11. The Raptors hit 16 of 21 free throws. The Magic made eight of nine.
The Raptors led, 55-51, at halftime, sparked by DeRozan early and then a big second period from Valanciunas. DeRozan took 16 shots before intermission and scored 20 points. Valanciunas had 10 points and 10 rebounds in the second quarter.
The Magic led by as many 11 points early in the second quarter, but the Raptors made a 22-6 run that included a pair of 3-pointers from reserve Terrence Ross.
Toronto's early lead was helped by 16 points off eight Magic turnovers. The Magic, by comparison, scored only two points off three Raptors' turnovers in the first half.
NOTES: Raptors reserve G Cory Joseph, who had a season-high 17 points Friday against Atlanta, sat out Sunday with flu-like symptoms. ... Magic C Bismack Biyombo played a big role last season in the Raptors victory over the Miami Heat in the first round of the playoffs, and most everyone expected him to return to Toronto as a free agent this season. Instead, he signed a four-year, $72 million contract with the Magic, an offer he couldn't refuse. "The expectation that everybody had was that I was going back there (to Toronto)," Biyombo said. "An hour before free agency opened, I was still talking to all my teammates (in Toronto). At the end, it was tough (to leave)." ... Magic PF Serge Ibaka, who is averaging a team-high 1.8 blocks per game, told reporters he would love to see fans at the Amway Center copy his thumbs-down celebration when he blocks a shot. ... Raptors G Kyle Lowry made 24 of 40 shots from 3-point range coming into the game, including making all six of his shots Friday night against Atlanta.