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| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F | |
| MAGIC | 22 | 27 | 29 | 24 | 102 |
| RAPTORS | 34 | 22 | 21 | 31 | 108 |
Recap:
TORONTO (AP) -- Anthony Parker scored a season-high 26 points, Chris Bosh added 23 points and 10 rebounds and the Toronto Raptors overcame a 39-point performance by Orlando's Dwight Howard to beat the Magic 108-102 on Sunday.
Parker was 13-of-16 from the field and came within one point of his career high. The Raptors also got 18 points from Andrea Bargnani, 12 from Roko Ukic and 11 from Will Solomon.
Howard matched his career high in both points and field goals, but it wasn't enough for Orlando, which had won 17 of 20 coming in.
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Preview:
Orlando hits the road again for a quick one-game trip to Toronto when they take on the Raptors (13-20) at 12:30 p.m. Sunday afternoon. Toronto has been a disappointing team thus far and hasn’t played to the level that many NBA front office personnel believed they would. Jermaine O’Neal was brought in to be the final piece to the puzzle, but that piece hasn’t seemed to fit very well. He is averaging only 14.0 ppg. and 7.3 rpg. For the Raptors to reach another level, they are going to need much stronger play from him in the paint and in the mid-range game. When these two teams hooked up on November 18th, Chris Bosh exploded for 40 points and 18 rebounds against his good friend, Dwight Howard. Bosh forced the issue all night and Howard struggled defensively against him, eventually fouling out. Howard will be looking to rebound from that performance and will surely want to outplay his buddy as a visitor in his arena. Rashard Lewis matched up with O’Neal that night and won the battle. The play of those two may decide the result of this game. O’Neal is a bigger body who can post up on Lewis, but he hasn’t been scoring consistently this season. Lewis has, though, and can post on O’Neal or take him to the perimeter. In addition to Lewis winning the first match-up against O'Neal this season, he has been on fire of late, shooting more than 40 percent from beyond the 3-point arc over the last month while averaging 20-plus points a night. The Magic have continued their season-long roll and will be looking to take care of business Sunday afternoon on the road. They have won nine of their last 10 games and set the franchise record for best 33-game start with a win over Miami Friday night. All of the numbers point to Orlando winning this game, but they will have to play solid overall basketball to leave Toronto with a victory.
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Keys to the game:
Power Forward-Center combination: It's no secret that both of these teams have a deadly combo with their starting power forwards and centers. Dwight Howard will be the starting center for the Eastern Conference and he pairs up with Rashard Lewis, who is playing fantastic basketball both with his post-up game and 3-point shooting. On the other side of the ball, Chris Bosh has cemented himself as a superstar over the past three seasons and he showed Orlando what he's capable off in their first match-up of the season where he dropped 40 points and grabbed 18 boards. His partner down low is Jermaine O'Neal, who has struggled in his first season north of the border. The play of each team's starters down low is going to be pivotal in a victory. Orlando has the advantage heading into the game, but if Bosh can be anywhere close to where he was on November 18 against the Magic and O'Neal can step up his play, the Raptors may be able to steal a win.
Magic Defense: Orlando continues to rise up the rankings in every defensive statistic. They currently rank fourth in the NBA in opponent points per game, giving up only 93.03 a night. That doesn't bode well for a Toronto team that is averaging only 96.66 points per contest. The Magic offense has been steady all season, but their defense has been developing every single night out on the court. Friday night, they held the Heat to only 76 points, 33 of which came from one player, Dwyane Wade.
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Game Notes:
Jan. 4 @ Toronto: Orlando is 26-21 all-time vs. Toronto (15-8 at home, 11-13 on the road) during regular season action, including 1-0 this season (see recap below)…The Magic went 2-1 last season against the Raptors...The Magic are 4-1 in postseason play against the Raptors (2008 First Round)...The Magic have lost five of the last eight regular season meetings…Orlando has won eight of the last 14 regular season match-ups at home, but lost seven of the last eight at Toronto…Assistant Coach Brendan Malone was the first-ever head coach of the Toronto Raptors in 1995-96…Assistant Coach Bob Beyer served as an assistant for the Raptors in 2003-04 and as an advanced scout in 2004-05…For last season’s stats and Magic career numbers vs. Toronto, see p. 275 of the media guide…Nov. 18 vs. Toronto - Magic 103, Raptors 90: Rashard Lewis, Jameer Nelson and Hedo Turkoglu all scored 22 points each for the Magic, as Orlando defeated Toronto, 103-90, at Amway Arena. It was the fourth consecutive victory for Orlando. All five starters scored in double figures for the Magic. Chris Bosh led all players with 40 points and 18 rebounds. Orlando trailed 26-21 after the first quarter and faced a 10-point deficit midway through the second quarter. The Magic closed the first half with a16-6 run and tied the game at 45-45 at halftime. Orlando then outscored the Raptors during the second half, 58-45. The Magic went 11-of-23 from three-point range and forced Toronto to commit 24 turnovers.
BEST ALL-TIME SCORING PERFORMANCE VS. RAPTORS: 38 pts., Tracy McGrady (@ Orlando, 11-12-02)
BEST ALL-TIME SCORING PERFORMANCE VS. MAGIC: 41 pts., Chris Bosh (@ Toronto, 2-7-07)
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