Raptors Drop Below .500 in Disappointing Loss to Magic

The Raptors fell to a record of 13-14 after a disappointing loss to the Orlando Magic this Sunday. The team was held to 40% shooting from the field and 24% from beyond the arc. Raptors stars Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet put up 19 and 20 points respectively but went 10-27 between the two.

On the other side of the ball, Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero led the Magic in scoring, with 23 and 20 points. Cole Anthony and Mo Bamba chipped in with solid games off the bench, adding 14 and 18. While the Magic didn’t shoot the ball particularly well, they did manage to go 14-31 from the 3-point line.

The big difference between the teams came in bench scoring, as the Magic bench outscored the Raptors bench 49-23. The Magic also held a big advantage on the boards out rebounding Toronto 58-39. 

Coming into Sunday night, Toronto was ranked dead last in the NBA in half-court, generating just 89.1 points per 100 half-court possessions. This problem was further put in focus in the period where Siakam was injured, with the number plummeting even further to 83.9. Without the ability to create turnovers and get out on fastbreak, the Raptors seem to have a hard time creating offense with set pieces.

It should be noted that the Raptors were missing O G Anunoby, who to many is looking like the most complete player on the team this season. Arguably, the only bright side to the game for the Raptors was Gary Trent Jr. finishing with a team-high 24 points, going 8-for-18 from the field.

Who’s Next for the Raptors?

Next on the schedule for the Raptors are the Sacramento Kings at home this coming Wednesday the 14th of December. The team will have a couple days off to gather themselves and ideally get Anunoby back from injury.

The Kings are currently 14-11 and hold the 5th seed in the Western Conference. Sacramento has a 6-7 away record and come off a loss at the hands of the New York Knicks on Sunday.

Betting on the Raptors in Ontario

Just 27 games into the regular season there is a lot more basketball to be played this year. If you’re looking to place bets on the Raptors, be sure to go through our list of the best NBA betting sites in Ontario for the top online sportsbooks in the province.