Tonight the Magic take on Toronto. For Orlando it is the second night of a back-to-back, coming off a strong win in Chicago. The Orlando Magic are seeking to chase down the Raptors for a spot in the postseason play-in tournament.
The Stats
The Orlando Magic
- Orlando’s record is 24-34
- The Magic are 13th in East.
- Orlando score 110.9 points per game (28th of 30) and concede 113.5 (16th of 30)
- Orlando are now 5-5 in their last 10 games. The home record is 14-15, whilst on the road it stands at 10-19
- The Magic are 17th in the NBA for pace, stand firm for offensive rating at 25th and have improved to 15th in defence.
- Orlando played last night, taking the win in a hard fought win over the Bulls in Chicago by 100-91. Markelle Fultz led the team with 18 points, 10 rebounds and 9 assists with 0 turnovers.
The Toronto Raptors
- Toronto are 9th in the Eastern Conference, just 3 wins ahead of Orlando.
- Their record stands at 27-31
- Toronto score 113.2 points per game (20th of 30) and concede an almost identical 112.4 (11th of 30)
- The Raptors have won 6 of their last 10 games. Their home record is 17-13.
- Toronto rank at 20th in pace, 11th on the offensive rating and 17th in the NBA’s defensive ratings.
- The Raptors last played on February 12th, taking a tight win over the Detroit Pistons by 118-119. Fred VanVleet scored 35 points, with Pascal Siakam putting up 28 points and Scottie Barnes adding another 20.
Squad and Injury News
For the Orlando Magic Chuma Okeke is again available. Cole Anthony missed last nights game and remains day-to-da. Being the second night of a back-to back for Orlando there is again consideration as to Jonathan Isaac and management of his knee (he does not appear on the injury report as I write).
Orlando have signed veteran free agent centre Goga Bitadze. He is not yet with the team. RJ Hampton has not travelled with the team on this road trip and is such of conjecture on being waived. Patrick Beverley was told not to report to the Magic, being bought out after his trade to the team for Mo Bamba. Terrence Ross has been bought out and becomes able to seek a future elsewhere.
For Toronto Otto Porter Jr is out for the season, whilst OG Onuoby also remains out injured. Both Gary Trent Jr and Precious Achiuwa are questionable for the game.
At the deadline Toronto traded Khem Birch, a protected 2024 first-round pick and two future second-rounders for veteran center Jakob Poeltl.
What To Expect As The Magic Take On Toronto
As the Magic take on Toronto you can not ignore how Jalen Suggs will again be greeted by the hometown fans. He has an important part to play for the Magic with defence needing to be solid again this evening. Wendell Carter Jr will have a hard fight again against Pascal Siakam and Jakob Poetl at the centre position.
Toronto shoot a lot of attempts, but have one of the worst field goal percentages in the NBA. The three ball is not heavily used, relying heavily on close range shooting and offensive rebounds. As a team they are league leaders in steals and 7th in blocks. The Raptors also have the least turnovers per game in the NBA. We also all know that head coach Nick Nurse will be in the officials ears all night as he seeks any advantage possible.
This is Orlando’s final game before the All-Star break and a chance to build on the momentum the team already has. The Magic have a strong opportunity to win but this game is far from easy. The team will need to do most things well as there is no single glaring issue to exploit for Orlando. Paolo Banchero still leads the Magic in scoring (20 ppg), closely followed by Franz Wagner (19.1).
Head-To-Head – The Toronto Raptors
In the 98 regular season games played between the two teams history sees the Magic trailing by 42-56.
This will be the final of three meetings this season between the teams, so far the Magic lead 2-1 having won both games in Orlando. Franz Wagner and Bol Bol have enjoyed strong scoring games against the Raptors this season.
Our recent record is very poor against the Raptors. Last season the Magic lost the series 1-2. That win in Toronto on March 4th 2022 broke a 12 game winning streak for the Raptors over Orlando (if include both regular season and playoff meetings). The last time Orlando had taken a victory over Toronto before that was in the 2019 playoffs, from the DJ Augustin 3-point dagger in the Magic’s 104–101 game one victory.
In the playoffs the record for games is even at 5 and 5, being tied 1-1 for series victories. Orlando won the 2008 Eastern Conference First Round 4-1. Toronto took the corresponding round in 2019, also by 4-1.
