GameNight SpecificsNBA Coverage: Game InfoDate: Monday, March 5Time: 7 p.m.Location: Air Canada Centre (TORONTO, ON)Radio: FM 96.5 and AM 580 WDBO, AM 1270 WRLZTelevision: Sun Sports
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(STATS) 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.
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