Orlando Magic Blog

Group Blog talking about the NBA 2009 Eastern Conference Champions. Due to the amazing success of the 2009 playoff run comments are now frequently deleted to kill offensive comments, incoherence, or asininity. Comments can no longer be anonymous and require either a Blogger or OpenID account.

Wednesday, April 01, 2009

Raptors surprise Magic as Magic drop to third seed in East

Looking at the final statistics from the game, it should actually come as no surprise that Toronto won this game. The Raptors had a better shooting percentage than the Magic from the field, the three point line, and the free throw line; in addition to outrebounding the Magic by double figures.

The Magic's largest lead of the game was 4-0. The Raptors shot over 70% in the first quarter and led 32-28 after one, and 53-52 at the half. The Magic had their last lead of the game at 66-65 at the 5:30 mark of the third quarter. The Raptors proceeded to go on a 15-3 run after that to lead 80-69 before going into the fourth ahead 80-73. The Magic tried to come back in the fourth, as they pulled to within one late on several occasions, the last being 96-95 with 46 seconds left. The Magic could not come up with a key defensive stop, however, but still had a chance to tie trailing 98-95, but Rashard Lewis missed a three pointer as the Raptors went on to win 99-95.

Magic leading scorers

Dwight Howard: 30 points (10 of 16 field goals, 10 of 21 free throws), 9 rebounds, 3 steals
Hedo Turkoglu: 19 points (4 of 12 field goals), 6 assists, 5 rebounds
Rashard Lewis: 18 points (7 of 19 field goals), 8 rebounds
Rafer Alston: 12 points (5 of 12 field goals), 4 assists

Toronto leading scorers

Chris Bosh: 24 points, 12 rebounds, 3 blocks
Jose Calderon: 21 points, 8 assists
Shawn Marion: 17 points, 15 rebounds

Overall Game Statistics

FG%: TOR 49.4% (41 of 83) ORL 40.8% (31 of 76)
3 PT FG%: TOR 50% (4 of 8) ORL 26.9% (7 of 26)
FT%: TOR 72.2% (13 of 18) ORL 63.4% (26 of 41)
REB: TOR 49 (10 offensive) ORL 35 (9 offensive)
AST/TO: TOR 23/16 ORL 17/10
BENCH: TOR 13 ORL 10

Other game notes and stats:

-The Raptors outscored the Magic 86-69 from the field to offset the Magic's 26-13 advantage from the free throw line
-Anthony Johnson led the Magic reserves with 5 points
-The Magic reserves combined to shoot 4 of 13 from the field
-Pietrus scored 3 points in 25 minutes off the bench
-J.J. Redick did not see any action
-The Magic shooting guards, Courtney Lee and Pietrus, combined to score 9 points on 2 of 8 shooting in 55 combined minutes
-Turkoglu and Lee combined to make 14 of 15 free throws; the rest of the team a combined 12 of 26, with Howard being the main culprit at 10 of 21
-Other than Howard and Gortat, the rest of the Magic combined to shoot 20 of 59 from the field

The Magic now drop to the third seed in the East, as Boston defeated Charlotte in a tight double overtime contest 111-109. The Magic trail the Celtics by a game.

For the complete box score, click here

4 Comments:

  • At 12:35 AM, Blogger Mike from Illinois said…

    With the Magic fighting for the second seed in the East, they couldn't afford to lose to a sub-.500 team at home, yet that's exactly what happened. I know Toronto is playing their best ball of the season, but there's still no excuse for losing this one.

    If the Magic just make 9 of 26 three pointers, instead of 7 of 26, and make 30 of 41 free throws, instead of 26 of 41, the Magic win this game by half a dozen points.

    I'm really disappointed that SVG chose not to play J.J. Redick; the Magic bench really struggled and maybe Redick could have provided a boost.

    Let's hope this game was just an aberration, as the Magic face tough competition this weekend, hosting the Cavaliers Friday and traveling to Atlanta Saturday.

     
  • At 8:50 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    im a raptors fan (i know its hard work) you guys are gunna end up hating your pg Alston, believe me i know he used to play for us...hes an idiot and he'll mess up the playoffs for D-12 & company.

     
  • At 3:21 PM, Blogger Mike from Illinois said…

    Alston has done a more than adequate job since the Magic acquired him at the trading deadline, and gives the Magic a much better chance at advancing deep into the playoffs than if the trade weren't made.

    Something had to be done after Jameer Nelson's season-ending injury; obviously, trading for Lue wasn't the answer.

     
  • At 9:54 PM, Blogger Ken said…

    I agree with Mike. I'd rather take my chances with Rafer than with Lue. The Magic needed another PG when Nelson went down and I think they made the best trade possible.

    I think the Magic were looking beyond Toronto last night and looking ahead to the Cavs. I knew one of these kind of games were going to happen before the end of the season, I just didn't know who it would be against. The Raptors game could have been a blessing in disguise. It will give SVG something to work on and hopefully refocus the team on what needs to be done before the playoffs start.

     

Post a Comment

<< Home