Fresh off an emotional comeback victory over the Miami Heat on Wednesday, the Toronto Raptors looked to keep the good times rolling Friday against an Orlando Magic squad they’ve dominated in recent years.
Having lost four in a row — including games against the lowly Suns and Bulls — the Magic were eager to end their skid in front of heir home fans. The Raptors got off to a solid start and tried to make things semi-interesting during stretches of a garbage-time fourth quarter, but disastrous second and third periods put them in too big a hole to climb out of.
Here are three takeaways from a 116-87 blowout loss in central Florida.
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Man of Action
Kawhi Leonard has been on an absolute tear in the month of December, averaging 30 points, eight rebounds and three assists per game on 52 per-cent shooting. If he wasn’t already, this stretch has firmly established him as a legitimate threat to win the league’s Most Valuable Player award.
Coming off a sluggish start in Miami on Boxing Day, the Raptors placed a pre-game emphasis on jumping out to a quick start Friday against a desperate Magic team. Leonard is typically one to let his teammates get going in the opening period, averaging just 5.8 points in first quarters this season, but Leonard poured in 10 points in the frame, including a pair of threes and one slick crossover.
All told, the Raptors accomplished their goal of grabbing an early lead, holding a 29-25 advantage after 12 minutes.
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Green’s absence felt in pivotal second quarter
All the work Toronto did to get off on the right foot came undone in the second quarter. The Raptors laboured offensively, shooting just 5-of-23 while allowing the Magic to score 32 points. Orlando big man Nikola Vucevic was particularly problematic as he cruised to an 18-point, 11-rebound opening half on 7-of-9 shooting.
The turning point came at the six-minute mark when Danny Green picked up his third foul. With the NBA’s net rating leader watching from the bench, Orlando reeled off a 21-6 run the close the quarter.
Green’s importance to the Raptors can’t be overstated, even if his box score tallies don’t always jump off the page. He is a stabilizing presence on both ends of the floor, and he was the only Toronto player to finish with a positive rating in the first half.
The Raptors came out flat in the third quarter, falling behind by as many as 31 points. That was all she wrote as the visitors simply couldn’t muster anything on the offensive end, as evidenced by their abysmal 29.5 per-cent field-goal shooting on the night.
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Steady Freddie’s scare
Another key moment in the game came when Fred VanVleet took a hard fall in the second quarter and appeared to grab the right shoulder that gave him trouble throughout the Raptors’ playoff run last season.
To that point, VanVleet had been rolling, contributing nine points in the Raptors’ strong first quarter. The 24-year-old missed only two minutes of game action as he was examined in the locker room, but couldn’t buy a basket after checking back in.
Already missing Kyle Lowry, Toronto can ill afford to lose another key piece of its rotation, let alone another point guard. The fact VanVleet was able to return is an encouraging sign for the Raptors, but it’s a situation worth monitoring.
