A big question entering the Orlando Magic’s Saturday road game at the Toronto Raptors was whether guards Cole Anthony and Markelle Fultz would be available with the matchup being the second night of a back-to-back.
They were, but the Magic suffered one of their worst losses of the season anyway, falling to Raptors, 121-108, at Scotiabank Arena for their eighth consecutive loss.
The Magic planted the seeds of a poor performance early.
Bol Bol had a live-ball turnover on the first possession, leading to a Christian Koloko dunk. The Magic had three turnovers in the first 4 1/2 minutes and allowed the Raptors to get into the paint at will in the opening quarter, leading to a 36-22 Raptors advantage.
The Magic’s bench (60 points), which was led by Terrence Ross’ 18 points, helped the final deficit make the game look closer than it was.
The Raptors led by at least 15 for most of the second half, including by a game-high 33 in the third. The Magic’s reserves played with significantly more energy defensively and had better ball movement, especially in the fourth when the game wasn’t competitive, cutting the lead down to 13 — the final margin of defeat — late in the fourth.
All of the Magic’s starters finished with an individual plus/minus of at least minus-17 while all of the Raptors’ starters finished with a plus/minus of at least plus-21.
OG Anunoby led Toronto with 32 points, four assists and three steals while Pascal Siakim added 26 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists and three steals. The Raptors scored 70 (35-of-50 shooting) points in the paint.
Bol was the lone Magic starter to score in double figures, finishing with 18 points to go with seven rebounds but also had five turnovers.
Admiral Schofield added 13 points off the bench.
The status of Anthony and Fultz were under question entering Saturday with both returning from injuries in Wednesday’s 125-108 home loss to the Atlanta Hawks and playing more than expected in Friday’s 107-96 road loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
“A lot of it, toward the backend, we decided to make one quick push for the game,” coach Jamahl Mosley said. “They ended up staying out there a little longer than I would’ve liked to. But I really loved their fight, resiliency and their wanting to go after it the way they did. That’s who we have to continue to be.”
Saturday was Fultz’s first time playing back-to-back nights since December 2020. He missed most of the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in January 2021, returning this past February.
It’s common for teams to limit players’ minutes and participation in games on back-to-back nights after returning from prolonged absences because of injuries.
Anthony and Fultz entered Saturday’s matchup with an undisclosed minutes restriction.
Fultz had seven points and four assists in 19 minutes while Anthony finished with 12 points, five assists and three rebounds in 24 minutes.
“We’re going to monitor that,” Mosley said pregame. “They’re still coming back after being away for so long, making sure we’re careful in how we hold their minutes.”
Mo Bamba (back spasms), Wendell Carter Jr. (strained right plantar fascia), Gary Harris (strained right hamstring), Jonathan Isaac (left knee injury recovery), Chuma Okeke (left knee soreness) and Jalen Suggs (right ankle soreness) were sidelined.
They’ll get a rest day Sunday before kicking off a five-game homestand vs. the Milwaukee Bucks Monday at Amway Center.
“Despite what’s happening in these moments of losses, this group has an unbelievable chance for so much potential and growth,” Mosley said. “When the chemistry clicks, it’s going to be very special. It’s going to take some time to get those puzzle pieces in place, but these guys recognize it and understand it. That’s what we’re growing toward as these guys continue to get better.”
