TORONTO (AP) – Orlando Magic winger Tristan da Silva had an outstanding performance, scoring a career-high 25 points to lead his team to a 106-97 victory over the Toronto Raptors in difficulty, Friday evening. This victory is a relief for the Magic, particularly due to the absence of the leader Jalen Suggswho suffered back muscle spasms earlier in the match.
Goga Bitadze contributed significantly with a double-double, scoring 11 points and grabbing 13 rebounds, while Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added 15 more points to Orlando’s total. Notably, Cole Anthony tied his career-best total with 11 assists, further bolstering the Magic’s offensive flow.
Entering the game as the team with the fewest three-pointers in the league, the Magic bucked the trend by hitting 9 of 14 attempts from behind the arc in the first quarter, tying the franchise record for the number of three-pointers made in a single quarter.
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Tragedy struck the Magic late in the second quarter when Suggs, while playing defense, tripped and fell awkwardly. He hit the ground holding his lower back and needed several minutes before being carried off the field in a wheelchair, hiding his face with a towel as he left.
Jakob Poeltl led the Raptors with 25 points, while Scottie Barnes et Immanuel Quickley added 20 and 11 points respectively, showing Toronto’s struggle to follow up their recent victory over Brooklyn that ended an 11-game losing streak. The Raptors have struggled to build momentum, having managed to string together back-to-back wins only twice this season.
In the first quarter, a four-player deep offense from Orlando propelled them on a 14-4 run, establishing a lead they would not relinquish. The Magic showed their strength on the perimeter, finishing with 19 made shots on 44 attempts from behind the arc, bringing their season record to 18-6 when making ten or more three-pointers. Conversely, they have struggled considerably in games where they score nine points or less, posting a 3-9 record.
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Looking to the future, the Magic will host the Utah Jazz Sunday night, as the Raptors prepare to host the Milwaukee Bucks Monday evening.
NBA AP: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
