The Lead
Wendell Carter Jr. posted 26 points, Jalen Suggs scored 24 points and had two steals, and Markelle Fultz tallied 19 points, six rebounds and five assists, but the Orlando Magic, playing on the second night of a back-to-back with limited rest, were unable to hang with the Toronto Raptors in Tuesday’s 123-113 loss at Scotiabank Arena.
Key Stretch
After back-to-back buckets by Suggs and Bol Bol cut Orlando’s deficit to five with just under nine minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, the Raptors reclaimed momentum with six unanswered points. Pascal Siakam made a pair of mid-range jumpers, while Malachi Flynn knocked down two free throws.
Key Stats
Toronto won the rebounding battle 40-29. Thirteen of those Raptors rebounds were on the offensive end, which led to 18 second chance points. Toronto also outscored Orlando by 20 in the paint and had 10 more fast break points.
Interesting Fact
Magic Hall of Famer and television play-by-play man David Steele had quite an amazing “Is This Anything?” on Tuesday. The Magic, now 24-35, have the best record at the All-Star break all time for a team that started the season 5-20 or worse through the first 25 games.
Injury Report
Cole Anthony (right wrist soreness) and Jonathan Isaac (left knee injury management) were out for the Magic. R.J. Hampton and newly acquired Goga Bitadze were not with the team. Gary Trent Jr. (calf), OG Anunoby (wrist) and Otto Porter Jr. (foot) were unavailable for the Raptors.
Quote of the Day
“Very exciting. I think it’s a huge honor – not just for me, but hopefully the coaching staff (and) everybody that works with me every day sees it the same. Go there, have fun, enjoy that, and also get some rest.” – Franz Wagner on now heading to Salt Lake City for NBA All-Star Weekend with Magic teammate Banchero to participate in the Rising Stars Challenge
This Day in History
One of the most memorable regular season games in Magic history occurred on Feb. 14, 1990 with the Chicago Bulls in town. Michael Jordan, having to wear a nameless No. 12 jersey after his No. 23 jersey vanished from the locker room, dropped in 49 points. However, behind 34 points from Terry Catledge and 28 from Reggie Theus, the Magic beat the Bulls in overtime.
Rivals Report
Many might argue that the Raptors have been this year’s most disappointing team. There were some coming into the year who felt they could perhaps make a Finals run this year after finishing strong last season. But so far, they’ve lacked consistency, especially defensively, which is surprising considering they have so much length and are phenomenal in some key defensive areas, including forcing opponents into a lot of turnovers. Still, by not trading away any of their core players at the deadline, there are some who remain confident that they will go on a nice run down the stretch of the season.
Up Next
After the All-Star break, the Magic return to the Amway Center floor for a battle with the Detroit Pistons on Thursday, Feb. 23 at 7 p.m. This will be the third of four meetings between the two squads this season, with the Pistons winning the first two on their home floor. On Oct. 19 in the regular season opener for both teams, Bojan Bogdanovic led Detroit with 24 points, while Banchero had a sensational debut for Orlando with 27 points, nine rebounds and five assists. In the second meeting, Alec Burks erupted for 32 points and Saddiq Bey, now a member of the Hawks following a deadline trade, scored 28 for the Pistons, while Franz Wagner led the Magic with 19 points.