Magic-Raptors Preview

By MATT BEARDMORE
Posted Mar 25 2012 1:35PM

Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy couldn't have been any more displeased with his team following a loss to the NBA leaders last week.

Van Gundy is now feeling much better about his team's prospects.

The Magic go for a third straight victory Monday night when the Toronto Raptors open a five-game stretch at Air Canada Centre following a tough last-second defeat.

With a chance to win the season series and make a statement against the league-best Chicago Bulls before a possible Eastern Conference playoff pairing, Orlando (31-18) lost for the third time in four games last Monday, 85-59. It matched the third-lowest scoring effort in Magic history.

"I mean, it's everything," Van Gundy said when asked what issue his team needs to fix.

The Magic have turned things around nicely, winning two straight to cap a three-game homestand.

While turnovers remain a concern - the club is averaging 19.2 in the last five games - Orlando has hit 23 of 58 from 3-point range over the last two contests while holding opponents to an average of 86.5 points.

"We've got to play a little bit better when we have a lead but our effort the last two games and our focus on the defensive end of the floor has been very, very good," Van Gundy said after Friday's 93-80 victory over Cleveland.

Dwight Howard has been outstanding in his career at Toronto. He's averaged 30.4 points with 11.7 rebounds in his last seven visits after scoring 36 points with 13 boards in a 92-88 victory March 5.

Howard's average of 23.9 points in Toronto is his best on the road against any team.

The Raptors (16-33) could also have their hands full with Ryan Anderson, who is averaging 21.5 points - second to Howard's 27.5 - and 9.0 rebounds in two victories in this series in 2011-12.

Anderson, the league leader in 3-pointers made (135) and attempted (331), has been one of the keys to the Magic's last two wins, scoring 46 points on 10-of-23 shooting from long distance.

"I think (the playoffs are) definitely on our minds," he said Friday. "When we huddle it up after the game that's one thing we focus on, just getting better because it's crunch time."

At 12th in the East and with four losses in five games, the Raptors aren't likely headed to the playoffs. But they put quite a scare into the Bulls on the road Saturday before falling 102-101 in overtime.

James Johnson, who finished with 20 points and eight boards, recorded his fourth block in the final seconds, but Bulls forward Luol Deng's putback before the buzzer was the difference.

"That's the microcosm of the season," Raptors coach Dwane Casey said.

It's uncertain if DeMar DeRozan will return to the lineup after having his streak of 130 consecutive games played snapped on Saturday due to a left ankle injury. Jerryd Bayless (left hip pointer) is also questionable after missing the last two contests.

DeRozan has averaged 20.0 points versus Orlando this season after finishing with a team-best 23 earlier this month. Bayless had 15 points, six rebounds and five assists in 23 minutes off the bench.

Andrea Bargnani missed that game with a calf injury, but he scored 28 points and grabbed seven rebounds - both team highs - in a 102-96 loss in Orlando on Jan. 1.

The Raptors, who beat New York on Friday at the Air Canada Centre, haven't won two home games in a row since Dec. 1 and 3, 2010.

The Magic, winners of four of five in Toronto, are trying to prevent their first three-game road losing streak since March 28-April 3.

Anderson makes 8 3's as Magic rout Raptors 117-101

Posted Mar 26 2012 10:49PM

TORONTO (AP) No one in the NBA has made as many 3's as Orlando's Ryan Anderson this season. He widened his lead Monday night.

Anderson made a career-best eight 3's and finished with 28 points to help the Magic win their third straight game, 117-101 over the Toronto Raptors.

"It's a cool accomplishment," Anderson said. "I just want to keep getting better."

Dwight Howard had 23 points and 10 rebounds, and Jameer Nelson scored 18 points for the Magic.

"Dwight was dominant inside and they were leaving Ryan open on the perimeter so it was pretty easy to get shots," Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said.

Orlando came in leading the NBA in 3-pointers and hit 15 of 34 from beyond the arc in this one, two shy of its season high. The Magic made 17 3-pointers twice this season, first at New York on Jan. 16 and also against Miami on Feb. 8.

Anderson's first 21 points of the game came on 3's, a streak that ended when he made a pair of free throws with 9:39 left in the third quarter. Anderson, who already had three games with seven 3-pointers this season, finished two points shy of the career-high 30 he scored against the Knicks on Jan. 16.

"That's amazing," Howard said. "I'm happy for him. We all love the way he's been playing."

Anderson entered play Monday with 135 3-pointers, more than 30 ahead of his closest competitor, Dallas guard Jason Terry. New Jersey's Deron Williams is the only other player with more than 100.

Teammate J.J. Redick is the ninth-most accurate 3-point shooter in the league, but even he's impressed with Anderson's outside ability.

"I said to him `How good does it feel when you hit your first 3? It's almost like the rest of the game you're just in that mentality of hunting shots,"' Redick said. "He does a great job of that."

Anderson, with some help from his teammates, also shut down Toronto's Andrea Bargnani, holding the Italian to eight points on 3-for-11 shooting.

"We did a good job eliminating his comfortable shots," Anderson said.

Glenn Davis had 13 points and Redick 12 for the Magic, who never trailed and led by as many as 23.

The Magic, who snapped a two-game road slide, also took care of the ball. After averaging more than 19 turnovers in their previous five games, Orlando had nine against Toronto, including four in the final quarter when the game was already out of reach.

"I thought it was huge that we only had nine," Van Gundy said. "Very important and good to see. Our guys did a good job."

Gary Forbes scored a career-high 21 points, Linas Kleiza had 18 and James Johnson 13 for the Raptors, who have lost five of six.

"I'm disappointed in our focus and attention to detail," Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. "We came out flat as a pancake against one of the top teams in the league."

Orlando led 24-8 after Howard converted an alley-oop pass from Nelson at 5:07 of the first. After taking their second timeout, the Raptors roared back with an 18-4 run featuring four 3's of their own, cutting it to 28-26 after one.

Already without guard DeMar DeRozan, who missed his second straight game with a sore left ankle, the Raptors lost guard Jerryd Bayless in the second. Bayless, who had missed the previous two games, went down clutching his sore left hip with 5:25 left in the half and had to limp off. He did not return.

With Bayless sidelined, the Raptors were forced to call upon guard Alan Anderson, who signed a 10-day contract earlier Monday.

Ryan Anderson, who made three 3's in the first, added three more in the second and Howard had eight points as Orlando pulled away again to take a 61-49 lead at the half.

The Magic led 93-73 heading into the fourth, the most points by a Toronto opponent after three quarters in any game this season.

NOTES: Davis needed five stitches to close a cut in his head after catching an elbow from Calderon in the second. He returned in the third, wearing a large bandage. ... James Johnson started for Toronto despite missing the morning shootaround with flu-like symptoms. ... The Raptors honored Canada's military by wearing camouflage uniforms for the second time this season. They'll wear them twice more in the final month. ... Former Blue Jays outfielder Joe Carter and former NFL quarterback Jesse Palmer were at the game.

Notebook: Magic 117, Raptors 101

Posted Monday March 26, 2012 10:40PM

By Duane Watson, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: The Orlando Magic (32-18) defeated the Toronto Raptors (16-34) 117-101 at the Air Canada Centre on Monday night, giving them their third win in a row. The Magic started the game on a 22-8 run, nine of those points came from NBA 3-point league leader Ryan Anderson who scored a game high 28 points. The Magic never trailed and had as much as a 23 point lead in the game shooting .543 from the field and .441 on 15-for-34 shooting from the 3-point line. But their presence was just as strong inside, outscoring the Raptors 46-24 in the paint. Dwight Howard added 23 points and 10 rebounds, while Jameer Nelson had 18 points and 7 assists.

The Raptors were led by Gary Forbes in his second start of the season, replacing injured guard DeMar DeRozan (ankle), who had a career high 21 points and a career high with 3-pointers made and attempted shooting 4-for-7. Linas Kleiza came off the bench to pour in 18 points, while Jose Calderon had 9 points and 11 assists. The Raptors started a five game homestand tonight and are now 8-16 at home, this is their second loss in a row.

QUOTABLE: "I had a lot of open looks, I think everybody did a good job of finding me. Dwight caused a lot of attention in the paint which led to some open shots for everybody. We started the game off rolling and made a ton of threes and hit some open shots and we really moved the ball tonight."
-- Magic forward Ryan Anderson

THE STAT: The Orlando Magic lead the league in 3-pointers made per game with10.2 and attempted with 26.7. They were well over their averages tonight shooting 15-for-34 making .441 per cent. The Raptors shot only .473 from the field as a whole.

TURNING POINT: Orlando dominated the game from the opening tip and reeled off 10 unanswered points to start the game. While the Raptors made runs, no Magic lead was ever in jeopardy.

HOT: Anderson started the game with 18 points in the first half on 6-for-10 shooting. All of his baskets came from behind the 3-point line and only one of his attempts was from inside the arc. He finished the game with a career high eight 3-pointers and 28 points, well over his season average of 15.9 and the 21.6 points per game average in his two previous meetings with the Raptors. Anderson leads the league in 3-point shots made (143) and attempted (344).

NOT: Andrea Bargnani only scored 8 points on 3-for-11 shooting and was a non-factor for the Raptors. Over the past 5 games, he's been averaging 14.4 points and shooting .314 from the field and .111 from the 3-point line. Down from his team-leading scoring average of 19.3 points per game while shooting .421 from the field.

GOOD MOVE: After taking 24-8 beating fast and early in the first quarter, Raptors head coach Dwane Casey emptied his bench. His team responded with an 18-4 run to close out the quarter down one basket 28-26.

NOTABLE: Orlando sweeps the season series (3-0) between the two clubs for the second time... The Magic are 22-5 when making 10 or more three-pointers... Toronto was .500 from beyond the arc... The Raptors 11 made three-pointers was a regulation time season-high... The Magic scored an opponent high 117 points.. Orlando's 44 field goals were also a season best... The Magic are 21-3 this season when scoring 100+ points... Jerryd Bayless left the game in the second quarter re-inuring a hip pointer that forced him to miss the last two games and didn't return... Howard recorded his 41st double-double... Glen Davis was cut on the head during the second quarter and went to the locker room for five stitches... The 61 first half points by the Magic equaled an opponent season high for points in a half.. The Raptors signed Alan Anderson from the D-League's Canton Charge to a 10-day contract 2 hours before the game, he suited up and scored 2 points in 7 minutes.

UP NEXT: Toronto continues their homestand Wednesday vs. Nuggets, Friday vs. Miami and Sunday vs. Washington. Orlando @ New York on Wednesday, vs. Dallas on Friday and @ Detroit on Tuesday.

• Magic: Harper, Wafer
• Raptors: --

• Magic: --
• Raptors: --

• Lead Changes: 0
• Times Tied: 1

• Arena: Air Canada Centre, Toronto, ON
• Officials: #43 Dan Crawford, #47 Bennie Adams, #74 Curtis Blair
• Attendance: 16429
• Duration: 2:09