Raptors Make it 5 Straight Wins, Inching Closer to Clinched Playoff Berth with Victory Over Magic

The Toronto Raptors pull even with the Chicago Bulls thanks to a fifth straight victory and a win over the Orlando Magic on Friday

Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

The magic number for the Toronto Raptors is now down to just three.

At this point, it's getting tough to see Toronto falling out of the top six in the Eastern Conference. With four games to go, the Raptors are now three full games up on the Cleveland Cavaliers for the sixth seed in the East and have once again pulled even with the Chicago Bulls for the fifth seed thanks to a 102-89 victory over the Orlando Magic on Friday night.

"Our focus and our motivation has never been to get into a play-in game. We’ve always wanted to put ourselves in a position to not do that," said Gary Trent Jr. "We’ve been talking about that all year. If we continue to do what we do and play how we play we should take care of that, but that’s never been our goal."

With the win, Toronto also pulled a game and a half back of the Philadelphia 76ers for the fourth seed in the conference.

1. Raptors Flex Defensive Might

The Raptors have come a long way on the defensive end this season. After starting the year near the bottom of the league in Defensive Rating, they've surged into the top five over the last two weeks and now sit ninth in Defensive Rating this season.

While lockdown defense against the tanking Magic isn't anything to get too excited about, Toronto once again looked impenetrable on Friday. Fred VanVleet, in particular, was everywhere for the Raptors, poking the ball loose and spurring the Raptors in transition to the tune of 26 points off turnovers in the first half and 32 in the game. 

"Defensively, he’s been unbelievable lately, really unbelievable," Raptors coach Nick Nurse said of VanVleet. "He’s bouncing in and out of the paint, making some plays on offense as well."

It won't always be that easy, but Toronto has clearly put things together lately and if the defense can continue to create turnovers in the playoffs, the Raptors' transition offense should help make up for some lackluster half-court scoring.

2. Magic Never Make Things Easy

Orlando might not be on quite the same level as the Detroit Pistons when it comes to Raptors annoyance, but the Magic are certainly close. They always seem to frustrate Toronto by sticking around a little longer than they should. Even when they're trying to tank, they don't go away quickly.

On Friday, the Raptors had to use its starters deep into the game despite jumping up 22 points in the second half because Toronto's second unit couldn't put Orlando away. It was the first disappointing bench showing in a while for the Raptors who have grown accustomed to seeing Precious Achiuwa and Chris Boucher provide reliable minutes off the bench.

It wasn't until VanVleet checked back in midway through the fourth quarter that Toronto finally closed out the night in the final minutes. He nailed four of his five three-pointers in the second half, finishing the night with 19 points and two three-pointers shy of Kyle Lowry's single-season record.

3. Raptors Still Tweaking Lineups

The Raptors tested out a new jumbo lineup in the second quarter Friday night, letting OG Anunoby, Pascal Siakam, Thad Young, Khem Birch, and Achiuwa take the court together for the first time this season. It didn't work particularly well, but it's clear Nurse is still trying to test out new ideas with the playoffs just around the corner.

Up Next: Miami Heat

Lowry will make his long awaited return to Toronto on Sunday night when the Raptors play host to the Miami Heat at 7 p.m. ET.