Magic-Raptors Preview

By NICOLINO DIBENEDETTO
Posted Mar 04 2012 10:18PM

Dwight Howard remains the centerpiece of the Orlando Magic, but 3-point shooting is also proving key to their success.

Coming off one of their most impressive offensive performances of the season, the Magic visit the Toronto Raptors on Monday night to open a road trip of three games in four days.

Howard, a six-time All-Star, leads Orlando (24-14) with 20.4 points per game, and his 15.0 rebounds lead the NBA.

While their center continues to dominate in the paint, the Magic are also now a threat from beyond the arc. They've attempted a league-high 1,003 3-pointers, hitting 39.0 percent of them.

J.J. Redick, Ryan Anderson and Chris Duhon are all shooting at least 42.0 percent from 3-point range.

That trio made 9 of 15 3-point attempts Saturday, when Orlando went 14 of 27 from beyond the arc in a 114-98 victory over Milwaukee. It was the Magic's second-highest scoring output of the season.

"We're a tough team to guard, because you have to pick your poison," said Anderson, who hit 3 of 6 3-pointers and scored 16 points. "If you want to double-team on Dwight (Howard) and take him out of the game, you're going to leave open one of our shooters."

Orlando made 12 of 27 3-point attempts in their first meeting of the season with Toronto (12-25) on Jan. 1, en route to a 102-96 home victory. Anderson led the way with 24 points - 15 of them coming on 3-pointers.

Howard added 19 points and 15 rebounds in that contest. He's averaging 29.5 points and 11.5 rebounds over his last six visits to Air Canada Centre.

He enters this meeting looking to build on a pair of impressive performances. Howard had 28 points and 14 boards Saturday, two days after scoring 33 in a 105-102 loss to Oklahoma City.

The Raptors, 6-12 at home, are trying to record back-to-back victories for the third time this season. They haven't accomplished the feat since Jan. 24 and 25, dropping 12 of 18 games in that span.

A strong defensive effort spurred Toronto to an 83-75 win over Golden State on Sunday. The Raptors held the Warriors to 28 points in the second half to rally from a nine-point deficit.

"I told them the game is about frustration," coach Dwane Casey said. "It's how we fight through this. Feeling sorry for ourselves, fatigue, it's not that important. What's important is how we approach our job as NBA players. They came out and really faced the challenge."

DeMar DeRozan continues to be vital for the Raptors' offense while Andrea Bargnani nears a return from a calf injury. DeRozan scored 25 points against the Warriors, two days after he was held to four in a 102-99 loss to Memphis.

DeRozan is averaging 19.0 points over his last five meetings with Orlando. He finished with 17 in the New Year's Day loss.

Orlando, which has won five of its last seven road games, continues its trip with games at Charlotte on Tuesday and Eastern Conference-leading Chicago on Thursday.

Howard has 36 points as Magic beat Raptors

Posted Mar 05 2012 11:16PM

TORONTO (AP) The Orlando Magic couldn't count on their outsider shooters most of the night. Fortunately, they could rely on Dwight Howard.

Howard had 36 points and 13 rebounds, Ryan Anderson added 19 points and 13 boards, and the Magic beat the Toronto Raptors 92-88 on Monday.

Orlando made just nine of 28 3-point attempts, but got a pivotal 3 from J.J. Redick in the final 10 seconds.

"Our perimeter guys all shot the ball very, very poorly tonight, so trying to decide who you're going to have down there as the last man wasn't an easy call," Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. "(Redick) knocked in a big one right there."

That the Magic even got to that point with a chance to win was due in large part to Howard, who made 16 of 20 field goal attempts, including four dunks.

"It wasn't a great shooting night for me and a couple of other guys," Redick said. "Fortunately, Dwight carried us offensively for most of the night."

Howard scored 16 points in the first half and added 13 more in the third quarter, when he made five of six shots.

"My teammates gave me the ball in the right position to score," Howard said. "(Toronto) really didn't help much so I had a lot of room to be effective."

Watching Howard dominate inside was difficult for Toronto to take.

"It's frustrating seeing him dunking the ball like that over and over," Raptors center Aaron Gray said. "Obviously the 3-point ability is their strength and that was our focus tonight."

Redick scored 13 and Jameer Nelson had 11 for the Magic, who have won five of seven and nine of 12.

DeMar DeRozan scored 23 for the Raptors, who have not won back-to-back games since road wins over Phoenix and Utah on Jan. 24 and 25. Toronto has gone 6-13 since.

"I feel for our guys because they are putting themselves in a position to win," Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. "I see fight every night."

Jerryd Bayless scored 15 and James Johnson had 13 for Toronto, while Gray had 11 points and 11 rebounds.

Orlando led 68-63 to begin the fourth, but Toronto cut the gap to one with a jumper and two free throws from Bayless. Anderson answered with a 3, then completed a three-point play to put the Magic up 74-67 with 9:03 left.

The Magic later had a 7-0 run over a 2:20 span, including a pair of baskets by Howard and a fast-break layup by Jason Richardson, to take an 87-78 lead with 2:58 to go.

Jose Calderon stopped the run with a 3 and, after Howard missed a pair of free throws, DeRozan banked in a shot to make it 87-83.

Howard missed four more from the line before Bayless was fouled with 31 seconds left. He made them both, cutting it to 87-85, but Redick drained a 3 right in front of the Toronto bench with 9 seconds remaining, restoring Orlando's five-point cushion.

"J.J. is a guy we really rely on for those big moment shots," Anderson said. "We really trust him and he knocked it down once again."

Toronto called time and drew up a play for Calderon, whose 3 made it 90-88 with 6 seconds left. Redick was fouled and sealed it by making both.

"J.J. is a great shooter," Howard said. "He hit a tough 3 and then he stepped up to the line and hit two big free throws."

Howard had 10 points and seven rebounds in the first quarter as Orlando led 23-20. Three of his five baskets came on dunks.

Howard scored six more in the second and Anderson had nine rebounds as the Magic overcame a 14-point quarter by DeRozan to take a 43-38 lead into halftime.

Toronto used a 9-0 run in the third to take its first lead since 12-9 of the opening quarter. Leandro Barbosa's 3-pointer with 6:26 left gave the Raptors a 51-49 edge.

Howard led the Magic back, scoring 11 points over the next 5 1/2 minutes, including an alley-oop dunk from Redick, as Orlando took a five-point edge into the final quarter.

NOTES: Van Gundy walked out of the locker room with a Raptors team doctor following the game and was overheard complaining of chest pains. Asked how he was feeling when he returned, Van Gundy answered "I'm not doing real well." ... Toronto was without forward Amir Johnson (right knee). Ed Davis started in Johnson's place and C Solomon Alabi was activated. ... Magic F Quentin Richardson (strained right Achilles) missed his fourth straight game. ... Howard made four of 14 free throw attempts. ... Orlando is 18-3 when leading after three quarters, including 8-0 on the road. ... Hedo Turkoglu matched a season high with nine assists. ... Toronto played home games on consecutive nights for the second time this season and 10th time in team history.

Notebook: Magic 92, Raptors 88

Posted Monday March 5, 2012 10:55PM

By Duane Watson, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: The Orlando Magic (25-14) notched another road win against the Toronto Raptors (12-26) 92-88, Monday night at the Air Canada Centre. The win starts a three road trip and gives the Magic their sixth win in their last eight road games. Down 68-63 after three quarters, Raptors guard Jerryd Bayless led a fourth quarter rally with 12 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists in the quarter to bring them to within two points. However, J.J. Redick's pair of free throws with 5.1 seconds left iced the game at 92-88.

The Magic were led by Dwight Howard's 36 points and 13 rebounds, Ryan Anderson also had a double-double with 19 points and 13 rebounds and Redick added 13 including the last five points of the game. DeMar DeRozan led all Raptors scorers with 23 points, Bayless finished the game with 15 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists, while center Aaron Gray had a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds. The Raptors are 1-2 on their current four game homestand and presently 3-8 on the second game of back-to-backs.

QUOTABLE: "We needed a big shot and J.J. is a guy that we really rely on for those big moment shots. We really trust him and he knocked it down once again and those free throws were really clutch."
-- Magic forward Ryan Anderson on Redick.

THE STAT: The Orlando Magic scored 50 points in the paint, more than half of their scoring total, many of which came from Anderson and Howard. The Raptors are second in the league in opponent's points in the paint allowed at 35.7 per game, but were unable to defend the inside against the Magic.

TURNING POINT: With the 9.7 seconds left in the game, Magic guard, Jason Richardson found Redick in the corner for a baseline 3-pointer to put the Magic up 90-85. Jose Calderon responded for the Raptors with a 3-point shot from the top of the key on the ensuing possession to bring it back with 2 points, but Redicks' two free throws iced the game at 92-88.

QUOTABLE II: "That was about as low energy as slow as slow game as you can have. It wasn't that teams played badly in the half court offensively or defensively, but my god the game just walked up and down the floor. Both teams."
-- Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy

HOT: Magic big men Anderson and Howard recorded double-doubles after three quarters. Anderson had 19 points and 13 rebounds while Howard had 36 points and 13 rebounds. Anderson pulled down 7 offensive rebounds, more than the entire Raptors squad's output of 10 on the offensive glass.

GOOD MOVE: Calderon wasn't giving Raptors head coach Dwane Casey what he needed on 3 for 9 shooting and went with Bayless for much of the second half. Bayless responded with 15 points 6 rebounds and 5 assists in the second half and was paired with Calderon down the stretch.

NOTABLE: Orlando has won both meetings with Toronto this season. ... The Magic outscored the Raptors 50-38 in the paint. ... The Raptors are 0-9 when trailing after three quarters. ... Anderson earned his eight double-double of the season. ... Howard scored 36 points in 36 minutes, yet shot 4 for 14 from the free throw line. ... Hedo Turkoglu tied a season high 9 assists, a game high. ... Raptors forward Amir Johnson was inactive with a knee injury. ... Toronto played home games on consecutive nights for the second time this season and 10th time in team history.

UP NEXT: Toronto continues it's homestand on Wednesday vs. Houston, then plays @ Detroit on Saturday and home again Sunday vs. Milwaukee. Orlando next plays on Tuesday @ Charlotte, Thursday @ Chicago and Sunday vs., Indiana.

• Magic: Harper, Liggins
• Raptors: Bargnani, Carter

• Magic: --
• Raptors: --

• Lead Changes: 14
• Times Tied: 6

• Arena: Air Canada Centre, Toronto, ON
• Officials: #27 Dick Bavetta, #35 Kane Fitzgerald, #50 Olandis Poole
• Attendance: 15392
• Duration: 2:20