Jameer Nelson and J.J. Redick each drilled five
of Orlando's 17 three-pointers to lead the Magic to a fast-paced 125-116
victory over the Toronto Raptors.
Nelson ended with 30 points while Redick, in the starting lineup due to the
injury to Vince Carter (ankle), tallied a career-high 27 points for the Magic,
who have won three straight to start the season.
Dwight Howard shook off a shoulder stinger he suffered in the second quarter
to finish with 24 points and 11 rebounds, while Ryan Anderson hit 5-of-8 from
beyond the arc for a 20-point effort in the win. Orlando finished 17-of-32
from three-point range.
Chris Bosh tallied 35 points and 16 rebounds for the Raptors, who have dropped
two straight since opening the year with a convincing win over Cleveland.
Andrea Bargnani and Hedo Turkoglu chipped in 26 and 19 points, respectively.
A pair of Bosh field goals bookended a Turkoglu layup to pull Toronto within
111-107 with 5 1/2 minutes to play.
Orlando scored six straight a little later. Anderson threw down a putback
dunk, Howard hit a layup while being fouled and Nelson made two free throws
for a 121-111 edge with under two minutes to play.
The Magic held at least a three-possession lead the rest of the way.
Orlando was up 36-28 after a hot-shooting opening quarter, and a Redick trey
capped a 13-0 spurt for a 54-32 lead five minutes into the second.
The Magic made only two field goals the rest of the half, and the Raptors
clawed their way back into it with their pick-and-roll offense, cutting the
deficit to 64-53 heading into the locker room.
Nelson scored 11 points during a 14-5 run in the third, though Toronto again
kept things close thanks to scoring 12 of 15 points later in the frame, which
ended with Orlando ahead, 99-89.
Game Notes
Toronto's Jose Calderon made 151-of-154 free throws last season but has
already missed four from the stripe this year after going 4-for-6 from the
line. The guard ended with 10 points and six assists in the loss...Redick's
previous scoring high was 18 back in April 2008...Orlando and Toronto split
four meetings a season ago...The Magic will finish a three-game road trip on
Tuesday at Detroit, which travels to Toronto on Wednesday...Matt Barnes
contributed 12 points and nine rebounds for the Magic, who were also without
Mickael Pietrus (flu-like symptoms).
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