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Jay Satur - Raptors.com
It Was Over When....
After a second-quarter stumble, the Raptors managed to correct course with 24 minutes of solid defence in the second half to earn the double-digit win on Monday. The use of "stumble" might be somewhat kind. The Raptors found themselves on the wrong end of a 16-2 run before halftime and went the final 6:51 of the half without a field goal. It was one of those nights where "down by eight at halftime" felt somewhat fortunate.
But Toronto showed some impressive resolve on the defensive end out of the break to claw their way back into the game before running away with it in the fourth. Up 74-72 with 9:28 to play in that final frame, the Raptors reeled off 12 straight points to push their lead to 14 with six minutes to go and the Magic wouldn't get back in it.
"We get in late on a back-to-back, overtime game, we had every excuse in the world but in the second half we found our energy, our spirit, and we held them to 13 and 17 (points respectively) and that team is going to be good," said head coach Dwane Casey post-game. "We found our defensive mojo in the second half and, like I told them at half time, they had every professional excuse in the first half and we used it."
The Game Changer
Kyle Lowry had his fingerprints all over Monday's turnaround and just took over in the third quarter. Over the first 4:31 of the third, Lowry scored the first five points, grabbed three rebounds and racked up three assists to help the Raptors tie the game.
Two-and-a-half minutes later, Lowry put together one of those astounding end-to-end sequences that are starting to feel routine with a block and rebound at one end, followed by this absurd crossover and dish to Landry Fields for his first 3-pointer in as many tries this season.
"He set the tone in the first five minutes of the third quarter and that’s what you’re going to have to do if you’re serious about winning and that’s what he did," Casey said post-game. "He came in and set the tone defensively, he set the tone offensively by being in attack mode and everybody just kind of followed suit."
The Underrated Raptor
Patrick Patterson continued his recent roll off the Raptors' bench in Monday's win and for a second straight game, showcased another element of his game. One night after playing the role of defensive stopper against one of the best small forwards in the league in Carmelo Anthony, the 6'9" power forward became a distributor with a career-high six assists.
"He [Patterson] has been playing unbelievable and he's getting into a rhythm," said Lowry post-game. "I think the older you get, [the more] you know your role and he knows his position. He knows guys are running at him because he is such a good shooter, so he's making the extra pass and making easy plays."
That's A Rap
"We just came out more aggressive and played our game. We knew that we let the lead get away in the first quarter and the first half. We knew that we could get it back, but we had to keep our intensity up." - Kyle Lowry, on what changed in the third quarter
By The Numbers
10 - Consecutive wins by the Raptors over the Magic.
6-1 - Raptors record when they hit at least 10 3-pointers in a game this season. They had 11 in Monday's win.
+12 - Assist differential favoring the Raptors (25-to-13) a season high.
6 - Consecutive games with at least 20 assists for the Raptors (Dec. 5-15)
3 - Consecutive games the Raptors have held their opponent under 100 points. The Raptors are now 11-0 this season when they hold opponents under 100.
They Said It
"With the history of my arm and everything, it’s been a long time coming. It was a spot and opportunity where I was like whatever I’ll just throw it up there. It went in so I guess it just was kind of a team thing." - Landry Fields on drilling his 1st 3-point attempt of the season
"Boy they made it tough on us, what did we score, 30 points in the half? You’re not going to win too many games that way unless they score 29. " - Magic head coach Jacques Vaughan, on the 2nd half
“"We want him to just get healthy, we want him to come back at his All-Star level and we know how hard he's working to get back. When he comes back we're going to talk about his rusty game."- Kyle Lowry on the return of DeMar DeRozan in his post-game interview... with DeRozan
Up Next
The Raptors get their first crack at the Brooklyn Nets since Game Seven of their 2013-14 first-round playoff series and it's also DRAKE NIGHT at Air Canada Centre on Wednesday. Note the different start time! (8:00 PM, TSN, ESPN, TSN 1050)