Franz Wagner’s missed layup with 4.7 seconds left on the clock ended the Orlando Magic’s late comeback attempt to fall 104-102 to the Toronto Raptors on Sunday night at the Kia Center.
Despite cutting Toronto’s (19-42) 19-point lead to a two-point ball game, Orlando (29-33) suffered its third consecutive defeat, handing the series lead to the Raptors at 2-1.
Wagner led in the scoring column for the Magic with 25 points on 9-of-17 field goals and 6-of-6 free throws.
“I think he got a good look at the rim, he missed the layup,” Orlando Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said. “You’re gonna have about a thousand more of those in your career, and you have to know that they’re gonna trust you to have the ball in your hands at times at the end of games.”
Meanwhile, Paolo Banchero secured 23 points on his 5-of-9 field goals and 12-of-15 free throws. Banchero tallied off a 3-point play to cut the Raptors’ lead to 104-100 and opening the door for a comeback attempt in the fourth quarter.
Raptors shooting guard Immanuel Quickley scored 17 of his 24 points in the second half to maintain the lead. Shooting guard RJ Barrett followed with 22 points, while center Jakob Poeltl recorded 16 points and 11 rebounds.
Overall, the Raptors shot 46.3% from the field, compared to the Magic’s 44.8%.
Although Orlando shot higher from beyond the arc (33.3%) and at the free-throw line (83.3%), Toronto outrebounded the Magic 40-35. The Raptors also played better defensively, snagging eight steals compared to Orlando’s three.
Moreover, Toronto had a 30-21 edge in bench scoring, spearheaded by point guard Jamal Shead’s 12 points.
Still, the Magic suffers from the loss of point guard Jalen Suggs. Suggs is ruled out indefinitely due to a trochlea injury in his left knee that requires surgery. In the last 25 of 26 games Suggs has missed, the Magic have won just eight of those contests.
“He’s very important,” Magic shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope said. “He’s our point guard, starting point guard at that — He’s truly gonna be missed.”
In the first quarter, Toronto started strong, leading by as much as nine points. Shead scored eight quick points, establishing an early lead for the Raptors at 27-19.
The Magic responded in the second quarter by outscoring the Raptors 28-21.
At halftime, Toronto had a narrow 48-47 lead.
The Raptors had their highest-scoring quarter in the third (33), acquiring an eight-point advantage to enter the final quarter.
Quickley helped establish a 12-1 run, scoring a 3-pointer and following it up with an and-one layup. He then passed the ball to forward Jonathan Mogbo for the layup, giving Toronto an 81-72 edge into the final period of play.
Although the Magic outscored the Raptors 30-23 as they attempted to secure the victory, the Raptors held them off.
Up Next
Toronto and Orlando face off again at the Kia Center on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
