TORONTO - Orlando’s short-handed lineup never found its footing Wednesday night, and the Raptors made sure it showed on the scoreboard.
Without Paolo Banchero, sidelined by a right low-grade high ankle sprain, and Jalen Suggs, out with a mild right knee bone bruise, the Magic were overwhelmed at Scotiabank Arena in a 129-99 loss. Toronto piled up 103 points by the end of the third quarter and kept pushing from there, while Orlando struggled in all the little areas that tend to decide games: turnovers, rebounding and shot-making from deep.
The Magic coughed up the ball 20 times and couldn’t match Toronto’s pace or efficiency. Even though the Raptors were missing Kawhi Leonard because of swelling in his left knee, they still got a huge night from their top scorers. Scottie Barnes led the way with 28 points, RJ Barrett added 25 and Immanuel Quickley chipped in 16 for a combined 69.
Orlando hung around early enough to trail by just 32-25 after one quarter, but the game quickly got away. Toronto outscored the Magic 97-74 over the final three periods.
The teams will meet again Friday night in Toronto, and that one will count in NBA Cup group play.
Second-year guard Jase Richardson got his second career NBA start, joining Desmond Bane, Anthony Black, Franz Wagner and Wendell Carter Jr. in the opening five. His night started with a quick detour after three early fouls limited him to four first-half minutes. He returned at the start of the third quarter and delivered all 10 of his points there, knocking down two 3-pointers after halftime.
Black, in just his second game of the season, came out aggressive and scored six of Orlando’s first 12 points by attacking the lane. But the rest of his line was rough: he missed all three 3-point tries, turned it over four times and finished with eight points in 22 minutes.
Wagner had his own ball-security issues, committing seven turnovers in the first half alone. He still managed 15 points, four rebounds and five assists, but he shot 4 for 11 from the field.
Bane opened with a first-quarter 4-point play after being fouled on a 3-pointer, but he never found much rhythm from outside and went 2 for 8 from deep, finishing with 13 points in 34 minutes.
Carter did his work on the glass, where he grabbed 10 rebounds and fought for offensive boards, but he only attempted four shots and scored three points in 26 minutes.
The one real bright spot for Orlando came from Tristan da Silva. The third-year forward caught fire off the bench, hitting 4 of 5 from 3-point range and scoring 20 points in 31 minutes. It was only the ninth time in his NBA career that he reached 20 points.
Toronto’s edge from beyond the arc was another major difference. The Raptors didn’t launch a ton of threes, but they made them at a much higher clip, shooting 43% from long range. Barrett went 3 for 5 and Quickley hit 4 of 7 as Toronto finished 15 for 35 from deep.
Orlando took the same number of 3-pointers, but the results weren’t close. The Magic shot 10 for 35 from beyond the arc, and five different players who tried at least one three came away empty.
In Other News...
Jonathan Isaac Has Become A Frustrating Symbol For The Magic
Jonathan Isaacs return remains one of the more delicate storylines around Orlando as he works his way back from the knee injury he suffered last year. After nerve issues slowed him down, he has only recently begun taking part in 3-on-3 work, a step that at least hints at progress even if it still leaves plenty of distance between where he is and where the Magic need him to be.
The timing matters because Orlandos forward group is already stretched thin, with Paolo Banchero and Noah Penda also sidelined. For a team already dealing with frustration over offensive production and roster development, Isaacs long recovery has become part of a bigger unease, a reminder of how much the Magic have invested in a player whose availability keeps getting pushed back. [Read more 🡒]
Magic Inconsistency Is Already Raising One Early Concern
The early-season unease around Orlando is less about one bad night than the way it happened. In a lopsided loss to Toronto, the Magic looked out of sorts while dealing with injuries and handing the ball over too often, which only sharpened the focus on the details this roster normally leans on. Assistant coach Sean Sweeney pointed to ball security, defensive communication and physicality as the areas that have to tighten up, even as he singled out strong individual work from Franz Wagner and Tristan da Silva.
There is still time for the Magic to steady themselves, but the schedule does not give them long to sit on it. Toronto is waiting again in the rematch on October 30, and Orlando will have to show it can clean up the sloppiness before the same matchup becomes another test of how much the team can withstand when the margins are thin. [Read more 🡒]