Magic Struggles Up North, Falls to Raptors Before All-Star Break

The Toronto Raptors beat the Orlando Magic Tuesday night in the series finale between the two teams.

Jeremy Brener | Feb 14, 2023

Magic Struggles Up North, Falls to Raptors Before All-Star Break /

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Orlando Magic

ORLANDO - The Orlando Magic is walking into the All-Star Break on the wrong foot after a 123-113 loss to the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday night.

The Magic came out of the gates sluggish after playing last night against the Chicago Bulls, while the Raptors came into the game with fresh legs. It showed in the first quarter as Toronto scored 35 points and took early control of the game.

Orlando's best quarter came in the second, dropping 43 points and taking a five-point lead into the locker room.

However, the Magic returned to the court as cold as Canada in the winter, scoring just 19 points and allowing 29. It gave the Raptors control of the game and they cruised from there. The Magic's deficit grew to double digits in the fourth quarter and the team was unable to recover.

Orlando was led by Wendell Carter Jr.'s 26 points and Jalen Suggs' 24 off the bench. Meanwhile, Toronto got strong contributions from All-Star Pascal Siakam, who scored 26 points, and newly-acquired Jakob Poeltl, who scored a game-high 30.

The loss sinks the Magic further down in the standings, now four games behind the Raptors for the ninth spot in the East. As the season winds down, these games are only going to be more crucial. Hopefully the Magic can benefit from the rest during the All-Star Break and return for the second half locked in and ready to push towards the play-in.

The Magic returns to the court next Thursday, Feb. 23 at home against the Detroit Pistons. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

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Published Feb 14, 2023

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.