Final
Howard, Magic sneak past Raptors
Mar 6, 2012 - 6:06 AM Toronto, ON (Sports Network) - Dwight Howard poured in 36 points on an efficient 16-of-20 shooting effort, but the Magic needed to overcome their All-Star center's woes at the foul line to edge the Raptors, 92-88, at Air Canada Centre.Howard missed six consecutive free throws in the final three minutes, allowing the Raptors to cut a nine-point deficit to 87-85 in crunch time.
J.J. Redick answered Toronto's 7-0 run with a three-pointer from the right corner with 9.8 seconds remaining, and added two free throws a little later to seal Orlando's third win in four games.
Howard pulled down 13 rebounds, while Ryan Anderson also recorded a double- double with 19 points and 13 boards for the Magic. Redick finished with 13 points and six assists in the win.
The Raptors, who were trying to win consecutive games for the first time in over a month, were led by DeMar DeRozan's 23 points. Jerryd Bayless added 15 points off the bench, while Aaron Gray posted 11 points and 11 rebounds in defeat.
Howard hit a pair of hook shots during a 7-0 run that gave the visitors some breathing room down the stretch, with Jason Richardson's dunk in transition giving the Magic an 87-78 lead with 2:58 to play.
Toronto inched closer though, in part because Howard missed six straight from the stripe. Jose Calderon drained a three-pointer, DeRozan banked in a short hook shot and Bayless sank two at the foul line with 31.8 ticks on the clock.
But after the free throws, Richardson found Redick wide open in the right corner, and the sharp-shooter hit nothing but net.
"[Richardson] made a nice pass to me in my shooting pocket," recalled Redick.
Calderon's trey at the other end gave the Raptors a shot at pulling out the comeback, but Redick's free throws clinched the result.
"Our guys can sleep knowing that they played their hearts out," Raptors head coach Dwane Casey said.
There were 10 lead changes in the first quarter and none in the second, as Orlando led 23-20 after 12 minutes and went into the break clinging to a 43-38 advantage.
Howard scored 13 points in a back-and-forth third quarter, which ended with the Magic on top, 68-63.
Game Notes
Magic forward Hedo Turkoglu was held scoreless on 0-of-6 shooting, but handed out a game-high nine assists...James Johnson posted 13 points, seven rebounds and seven assists for the Raptors, who were outscored in the paint, 50-36...The Raptors haven't recorded back-to-back wins since January 24-25...Orlando had gone 5-10 in its previous 15 matchups in Canada.
- ORLANDO: 92
TORONTO: 88
Final
Mar 5 9:33 PM - 248
rootsRUWTbot Added 31 roots (Close Finish, Individual Performance)
Magic 87, Raptors 85 4th - 0:31Mar 5 9:26 PM - 217
rootsRUWTbot Added 14 roots (Close Finish, Individual Performance)
Magic 87, Raptors 83 4th - 2:01Mar 5 9:20 PM - 203
rootsRUWTbot Added 29 roots (Close Finish, Individual Performance)
Magic 80, Raptors 78 4th - 5:18Mar 5 9:08 PM - 174
rootsRUWTbot Took away 10 roots (Close Finish, Individual Performance)
Magic 80, Raptors 75 4th - 5:55Mar 5 9:08 PM - 184
rootsRUWTbot Added 16 roots (Close Finish, Individual Performance)
Magic 77, Raptors 75 4th - 6:12Mar 5 9:07 PM - 168
rootsRUWTbot Added 17 roots (Close Finish, Individual Performance)
Magic 77, Raptors 72 4th - 7:01Mar 5 9:06 PM - 151
rootsRUWTbot Took away 10 roots (Close Finish, Individual Performance)
Magic 75, Raptors 72 4th - 7:33Mar 5 9:05 PM - 138
rootsRUWTbot Added 62 roots (Close Finish, Individual Performance)
Magic 74, Raptors 70 4th - 8:50Mar 5 9:00 PM - 76
rootsRUWTbot Took away 61 roots (Close Finish, Individual Performance)
Magic 73, Raptors 67 4th - 9:03Mar 5 8:59 PM - 137
rootsRUWTbot Took away 13 roots (Close Finish, Individual Performance)
Magic 71, Raptors 67 4th - 9:33Mar 5 8:59 PM - 150
rootsRUWTbot Added 8 roots (Close Finish, Individual Performance)
Magic 68, Raptors 66 4th - 9:46Mar 5 8:58 PM - 142
rootsRUWTbot Added 9 roots (Close Finish, Individual Performance)
Magic 68, Raptors 65 4th - 9:46Mar 5 8:58 PM - 133
rootsRUWTbot Added 57 roots (Close Finish, Individual Performance)
Magic 68, Raptors 65 4th - 10:50Mar 5 8:57 PM - ORLANDO: 68
TORONTO: 63
End of 3rd
Mar 5 8:53 PM - 76
roots - ORLANDO: 43
TORONTO: 38
Halftime
Mar 5 8:07 PM - ORLANDO: 23
TORONTO: 20
End of 1st
Mar 5 7:38 PM - ORLANDO: 0
TORONTO: 0
1st Quarter - 12:00
Mar 5 7:13 PM
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