London

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Toronto (24-15) &amp; Orlando (20-18) will battle it out across the pond tonight at the O2 Arena in London, England. The Raptors will be entering the game looking for their fourth straight win after securing back-to-back victories in Washington and Philadelphia last weekend. The Magic also last played on Saturday, falling to the Wizards at home.

*Note: Gametime is 8pm BST and will therefore be aired at 3pm ET &amp; Noon PT

Nikola Vucevic – Orlando’s leading scorer this season is averaging  17 points per game including eight rebounds and three assists. Similar to Toronto’s Jonas Valanciunas, Vucevic is another rare NBA big man who prefers playing in the paint but can also hit the mid-range jumper. The 7’0” Montenegrin is the cornerstone of this Magic team and over his five years in the NBA, has developed a reputation of being one of the best young centres in the game.

DeMar DeRozan &amp; Kyle Lowry – You can’t have one without the other. Toronto’s All-Star backcourt are the leaders on and off the court for this Raptors team. Every night, opposing defences must pick their poison of either DeRozan who is averaging 23 points, four rebounds and four assists per contest or Kyle Lowry who is putting up 21 points, five rebounds, six assists and two steals. The Raptors duo are among the NBA elite. Lowry ranks in the top five in steals and DeRozan is one of the ten best scorers in the league. Both are vying for a spot in this year’s All-Star game and can always use your help! Voting instructions here.

As we approach the halfway point of the 2015-16 season, the East remains as strong and competitive as it’s ever been.

Heading into tonight’s fixtures, Toronto sits just behind Cleveland in second place while Orlando clings to the eighth and final playoff spot in the East.

Not since 2002-03 has the top eight teams in the Eastern Conference finished the regular season with records above .500.

The theme for the past decade has been the depth and dominance of the West however tides seem to be turning this season with only seven teams having winning records to the East’s nine.

The Raptors themselves have held their own against Western Conference opponents, tallying an 8-7 record. Orlando has had even more success winning 10 of the 15 games played out of conference.

This is actually the second time Toronto has played a regular season NBA game outside North America after playing a back-to-back set against the then New Jersey Nets in London in 2011.

DeMar DeRozan is one of two remaining Raptors from that trip along with James Johnson. DeRozan was in his sophomore season in Toronto and despite losing both games vs. the Nets in 2011, he finished with 30 points on back-to-back nights and played a team-high 54 minutes in their triple overtime loss.

The Raptors shooting guard was asked about his performances five years ago to which he responded, “We lost both of those games, I’m just trying to get a win."

The current team have had three days to prepare for tonight's contest and outside of practice, the players made the most of their off-time to go out and experience the city with family and friends. It represented a nice release from a gruelling NBA schedule.

“It’s great branding for the Toronto Raptors. It’s a business trip but you kind of enjoy it, you get to bring your friends and family over here,” said Kyle Lowry after the team’s Tuesday practice session.

In his second full year with the Raptors, forward Patrick Patterson spoke about making the most of his time abroad.

“I’ve been trying to explore the city as much as possible, walk around the streets and take as many pictures as possible and try and embrace myself in all this new culture I’ve never been apart of.”

From sightseeing to soccer football matches, experiencing the U.K. culture has been an important bonding experience for this Raptors team but once 8pm hits tonight, everyone’s focus will be on the task at hand and that’s recording their 25th victory on the season.

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Game Day: Raptors @ Magic

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The National Basketball Association (NBA) announced Wednesday the Toronto Raptors will face the Orlando Magic at The O2 in London, England as part of the NBA Global Games 2015-16. The game will be played January 14, 2016 and marks the sixth regular-season game in London.

“We look forward to returning to London next season with a regular-season game between the Orlando Magic and the Toronto Raptors,” said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. “This underscores our commitment to growing basketball in the region and to bringing more regular-season basketball to our fans in the UK.”

Toronto, the only NBA team based outside of the United States, will travel to Europe for the third time in team history. The Raptors played back-to-back games versus the New Jersey Nets at The O2 on March 4-5, 2011 – marking the first time NBA regular-season games were held in Europe. Toronto also participated in NBA Europe Live 2007, which included preseason games in Rome (Italy) and Madrid (Spain).

“On behalf of the Raptors organization, we are proud to return to London for NBA Global Games 2016,” said Raptors President &amp; General Manager Masai Ujiri. “We had a tremendous experience in London in 2011 and look forward to reconnecting with the fans and community. This is a wonderful opportunity for us to continue in the NBA’s mission to make an impact globally.”

Tickets for the game in London will go on sale at the beginning of the 2015-16 NBA season. Fans can register for presale opportunities by signing up for NBA All-Access. More information can be found at facebook.com/NBAUK or @NBAUK.

London

Game Day: Raptors @ Magic

Raptors Return To London For Regular-Season Game