The Orlando Magic found a way despite Scott Skiles yanking his starters in the second half for a lack of effort.
The Orlando Magic had every reason to be frustrated and fold on themselves.
A strong first half against the NBA’s hottest team (aside from Golden State) was completely erased on a 19-4 run in the first five minutes of the second half. Coach Scott Skiles was so disgusted, he pulled all of his starters and went to the bench.
The bold and risky move paid off as the Magic leveled off and regained their footing in the game and came back to win 92-87 at Amway Center on Friday.
They did it throughout the game with their defense, holding the Raptors to 34.9 percent shooting. If not for excessive fouling in the third quarter, it could be considered one of the better defensive efforts of the early season.
Orlando also did it though by executing down the stretch, a point of emphasis among fans and the coaches in the early part of the season. The Magic executed their plays flawlessly and generally made good decisions to close the game out. This was not the rushed and frustrated team late that lost at Houston.
The Magic fed the ball to Tobias Harris in the mid post and he delivered. When the team missed a shot, Harris worked hard to get to the basket and get offensive rebounds. He filled the gaps for the Magic.
Harris scored 20 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Victor Oladipo provided good support late too with 18 points, seven rebounds and six assists. He continues to fill a stat sheet.
The game though came down to Orlando’s defense. The Magic buckled down at the end and scrambled well to close out shooters and force the Raptors into a difficult shot.
After Harris put the Magic up two points at the free throw line, DeMar DeRozan split a pair of free throws. The Magic fumbled the rebound out of bounds to give the Raptors one last chance.
DeMar DeRozan got free on a screen as Evan Fournier struggled to get around it. Tobias Harris dug down and Fournier recovered as DeRozan hesitated with the shot and the Magic got the Raptors to kick it back out. Jonas Valanciunas’ last-ditch effort fell no good and the Magic dug out the rebound and sealed the game at the free throw line.
The Magic have their signature win and some clear signs of progress to rest on after the win.
For complete coverage of the game, visit Orlando Magic Daily.
