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Magic fall at home to Raptors in closing seconds

Jason Beede, Orlando Sentinel on

Published in Basketball

ORLANDO, Fla. — Two nights ago, the Toronto Raptors held on late to defeat the Magic by as many points at Kia Center to snap a three-game losing streak and hand Orlando its third straight loss.

On Tuesday night, Toronto again led by double figures in the fourth quarter and again staved off Jamahl Mosley’s squad on the road, 114-113, in the closing moments.

Despite a late scoring surge powered by Paolo Banchero (41 points) and Franz Wagner (28), Toronto took the lead for good when Ja’Kobe Walter hit a 3-pointer with 4.8 seconds left.

Moments prior, Banchero converted a pair of free throws to put Orlando ahead by two points the possession after he made his fourth triple to tie game late at 111.

The result is significant because it secures the regular-season series, 3-1, in favor of the Raptors, who won their second straight to hand Orlando its fourth consecutive loss.

Toronto (20-42) dominated the boards when it outrebounded Orlando 48-35, of which 13 came on the offensive end to total 24 second-chance points.

The Magic (29-34) wrap up their seven-game homestand Thursday against the Chicago Bulls before hitting the road this weekend for a five-game trip.

Starting 5

Cole Anthony started the past 11 games in place of Jalen Suggs but Anthony wasn’t available Tuesday because of a left big toe strain.

Filling in for Anthony, veteran guard Cory Joseph made his first start in an NBA game since the 2022-23 season when he played with Detroit.

Joseph started alongside the usuals: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero and Wendell Carter Jr. against Toronto.

The veteran guard was vocal during huddles and offered a sense of calmness on the court when organizing Orlando’s offense while dishing out five assists with eight points.

Banchero and Wagner each had 13 points in the first half before Banchero added 28 after intermission.

Wagner and Carter, however, both picked up four fouls before the start of the fourth quarter.

Their fouls, along with plenty from their teammates, picked up as the game went on. After sending the Raptors to the charity stripe 11 times in the first half, Toronto shot 14 in the third alone before totaling 35 (of which they made 26).

 

Banchero relied on his aggressive style of play to score near the basket while Wagner leaned on his craftiness to rack up points.

Caldwell-Pope beat the first-half buzzer with a 3 to give him nine points before the break. He totaled 12 in 27 minutes.

Second unit

Starting Joseph allowed Mosley to keep his bench as close to normal as possible.

That meant Anthony Black, Jett Howard, Tristan da Silva, Jonathan Isaac and Goga Bitadze were the first five reserves.

Howard, the first off the bench for the third straight game in place of a healthy Gary Harris, missed all four of his shot attempts, including three from distance in 10 minutes.

Rookie watch

Da Silva played more minutes in the first half (12) than he did the last two games combined (nine).

The No. 18 pick earned the extra time when he made his first three triples of the night, two of which came late in the second quarter that he closed on the floor for Joseph alongside the other starters.

The rookie’s 12 points in 28 minutes were more than he scored in the past four contests (seven).

Turnover advantage

When the Magic fell to the Raptors on Sunday, they only scored nine points off 15 Toronto turnovers.

Orlando scored 12 points off 15 Toronto turnovers in the first half alone. They totaled 17 points off 20 takeaways.

The Magic, however, failed to take care of the ball themselves as the Raptors scored 16 points off 14 takeaways.


©2025 Orlando Sentinel. Visit at orlandosentinel.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

 

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