{{pageModel.leagueAbbr}} {{pageModel.subtitle}} | Las Vegas Review-Journal
National Basketball Association
Toronto 109, Orlando 79
When: 6:00 PM ET, Sunday, December 18, 2016
Where: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Officials: #47 Bennie Adams, #18 Matt Boland, #52 Scott Twardoski
Attendance: 17251

ORLANDO, Fla. -- The Toronto Raptors used the first quarter Sunday night as a wake-up call. They went to work in the next three periods, showing just how good they can be.

The Raptors smothered the Orlando Magic 109-79 finding a defensive intensity that matched their usual high-scoring attack.

All-Star guard DeMar DeRozan scored 31 points in just 30 minutes, but he sounded more proud of the defense that was played in the final three periods.

The Magic scored 30 points in the first period, but were held to only 21, 13 and 15 in the next three, leading to a surprising easy victory for the Raptors.

"Everyone already knows we can be a top-scoring team in this league, but we want to become a top defensive team, too," DeRozan said. "When that happens, everything will fall into place for us. it's something this team is capable of. You saw it a little tonight."

The Raptors lost Friday to Atlanta when they gave up 125 points, which taught them a valuable lesson.

"If you want to be relevant in this league, you got to play defense the right way," Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. "We were locked in tonight defensively. Just locked in, and that's how it has to be every night."

It was the third consecutive game DeRozan scored at least 30 points. He made 13 of 21 shots and added five rebounds and four assists, doing as he pleased offensively against the overmatched Magic.

The Raptors (19-8) won for the fifth time in the last six games to maintain the second-best record in the Eastern Conference.

Kyle Lowry scored 16 points with 10 assists. Center Jonas Valanciunas also scored 16 points and grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds. Reserve guard Terrence Ross had 11 points with three 3-pointers.

"We gave up 30 points in that first period, and we were playing too loose," Lowry said. "Defense has to become our staple. If we want to go anywhere, we have to hang our hat on defense. We already know we can score."

Evan Fournier led the Magic (12-17) with 15 points. Reserve guard Elfrid Payton had 13 points and Serge Ibaka scored 10. Center Nikola Vucevic, also in a reserve role, scored 10 points and grabbed nine rebounds.

The Raptors never were seriously challenged in the second half. Their offense never found any rhythm. They had 20 turnovers that led to 28 points.

"We didn't play team basketball, and it got worse as the game went on," Magic coach Frank Vogel said. "As they made their runs, we gave in versus responding like we should have. It's frustrating. I'm disappointed in our guys tonight."

The Raptors scored the first 10 points of the second half, including six by DeMarre Carroll, who was quiet in the first two periods. The Raptors never let the Magic back into the game, which ended with only reserves playing.

Toronto led 84-64 going into the fourth. The Magic made only 3 of 21 shots from 3-point range. The Raptors hit seven of 27. Toronto made only 11 turnovers. The Raptors hit 16 of 21 free throws. The Magic made only eight of nine, lacking any aggressiveness on offense.

"We can't let this snowball," Vogel said."You can't play for yourself in this league, or you get embarrassed. Our team is not playing for each other now, and it's not going to work like this."

The Raptors led, 55-51, at halftime, sparked by DeRozan early and then a big second period from Valanciunas. DeRozan took 16 shots before intermission and scored 20 points. Valanciunas had 10 points and 10 rebounds in the second quarter.

The Magic led by as many 11 points early in the second quarter, but the Raptors made a 22-6 run that included a pair of 3-pointers from Ross.

Toronto's early lead was helped by 16 points off eight Magic turnovers. The Magic, by comparison, scored only two points off three Raptors' turnovers in the first half.

NOTES: Raptors reserve G Cory Joseph, who had a season-high 17 points Friday against Atlanta, sat out Sunday with flu-like symptoms. ... Magic C Bismack Biyombo played a big role last season in the Raptors victory over the Miami Heat in the first round of the playoffs, and most everyone expected him to return to Toronto as a free agent this season. Instead, he signed a four-year, $72 million contract with the Magic, an offer he couldn't refuse. "The expectation that everybody had was that I was going back there (to Toronto)," Biyombo said. "An hour before free agency opened, I was still talking to all my teammates (in Toronto). At the end, it was tough (to leave)." ... Magic PF Serge Ibaka, who is averaging a team-high 1.8 blocks per game, told reporters he would love to see fans at the Amway Center copy his thumbs-down celebration when he blocks a shot. ... Raptors G Kyle Lowry made 24 of 40 shots from 3-point range coming into the game, including making all six of his shots Friday night against Atlanta.
Top Game Performances
 
Toronto   Orlando
DeMar DeRozan 31 Scoring Evan Fournier 15
Kyle Lowry 10 Assists Evan Fournier 3
Jonas Valanciunas 13 Rebounds Bismack Biyombo 12
Kyle Lowry 8 Free Throws Made Evan Fournier 3
Fred VanVleet 3 Steals D.J. Augustin 2
Pascal Siakam 4 Blocks Bismack Biyombo 3
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Toronto 109 49.4 7-27 16-21 20 47 7 10 11
Orlando 79 41.0 3-21 8-9 13 42 3 5 20
Upcoming Games
  • Orlando will play their next game on the road against Miami. The Magic have a W/L % of .385 after a win and .438 after a loss.
  • Toronto will play their next game at home against Brooklyn. The Raptors have a W/L % of .667 after a win and .778 after a loss.