Final
Raptors kick off homestand by hosting Magic
Mar 26, 2012 - 2:47 PM (Sports Network) - The Orlando Magic just completed a three-game homestand with a 2-1 mark and will hit the road for back-to-back games, beginning with tonight's showdown with the Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Centre.The Magic have lost two straight and three of four games on the road and are 13-10 away from Amway Center this season. Orlando, seeded third in the Eastern Conference standings, is coming off Friday' s 93-80 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers in which Dwight Howard had 16 points and 13 rebounds for his 40th double-double of the season. He led the NBA with 66 double-doubles in 2010-11.
Ryan Anderson added a game-high 17 points with eight rebounds, while Hedo Turkoglu finished with 15 points and Jameer Nelson added 10 and seven assists for the Magic, who won for the sixth time in nine tries overall.
"We moved the ball and that's when we play the best," said Anderson. "We want to get better each game, keep improving and eliminate the things that we're struggling with like turnovers, and tightening up our defense."
Orlando shot 46.8 percent for the game and made 12 of 35 three-pointers. It led by as many as 21 points in the second half and is now 24-12 against teams from the Eastern Conference. The Magic are shooting .383 from three-point range this season and leads the NBA in both three-pointers made and attempted.
The Magic will also visit New York on the quick trip.
Toronto will begin a five-game homestand Monday versus the Magic, Nuggets, Heat, Wizards and Bobcats, and is 8-15 as the host this season. It almost upended the NBA-best Chicago Bulls on Saturday in the Windy City, but dropped a 102-101 overtime decision.
Luol Deng's put-back off a miss was the difference and helped the Bulls to their 40th win of the season.
"You block the shot, there was a scramble. They had nothing going, they get the loose ball and put it in. That's the microcosm of the season," Toronto head coach Dwane Casey said on the club's website.
James Johnson had 20 points and Jose Calderon added 20 points and 10 assists for the Raptors, who have lost seven of 10 games and got 17 points out of Andrea Bargnani. Gary Forbes had 12 points and 13 rebounds in defeat.
Raptors guards Jerryd Bayless (hip) and DeMar DeRozan (ankle) did not play in Chicago and are questionable for Monday's game. DeRozan fell one start short of tying the franchise record. He had started 130 straight games, but was injured in the fourth quarter of Friday night's victory over the Knicks. The Raptors' record for consecutive starts is 131 set by Alvin Williams.
Toronto lost the first two meetings of the season with Orlando and 10 of the past 16 matchups overall in this series. The Magic have won four of their last five trips up north.
- ORLANDO: 117
TORONTO: 101
Final
Mar 26 9:22 PM - ORLANDO: 93
TORONTO: 73
End of 3rd
Mar 26 8:56 PM - ORLANDO: 61
TORONTO: 49
Halftime
Mar 26 8:09 PM - ORLANDO: 28
TORONTO: 26
End of 1st
Mar 26 7:35 PM - ORLANDO: 0
TORONTO: 0
1st Quarter - 12:00
Mar 26 7:12 PM
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