November 25, 2009
NBA- Orlando Keeps Up Winning Streak after Beating the Raptors
By Ally White
The Orlando Magic have won again. Their Friday night victory repeated itself on Sunday at the Air Canada Centre against the Toronto Raptors, 104-96. Orlando is on a winning streak, with Sunday marking a fifth consecutive win this season for the Eastern Conference champions. Vince Carter was the leading scorer in the game, and his talent, combined with that of reserve J.J. Redick, provided the offensive weapons the Magic needed to beat the Raptors.
The teams traded off control of the action at the beginning of the game, although the Raptors were slightly more effective in their shooting; Toronto enjoyed a 19-8 run at the end of the quarter that gave the Raptors the lead with a 28-22 score.
Toronto entered the second quarter even stronger, and with two baskets by superstar Chris Bosh, the Raptors extended their lead by 10 points, 32-22. However, the Magic reacted with a 13-2 run to tie the game with 6:31 left. During the last minutes of the second quarter the scoring went back and forth. By half time, though, Orlando was ahead by one point, 50-49.
The third saw the same tempo: Orlando and Toronto fought for the lead while the baskets swooshed for both teams, tying the score four times. With 3:43 to go Orlando took a 7-point lead, but Toronto recovered at the end of the quarter to gain a 2 point advantage. With only 1.9 seconds on the clock, Carter scored a face-away jumper shot to tie the score, 76-76.
The battle continued well into the fourth quarter. Orlando had three of its best scorer’s on the bench due to personal fouls at one point, but the team nevertheless kept up its aggression. With the score tied at 80-80, the Magic’s reserves, led by Redick and Jason Williams, exploded with two three-pointers in a row, bringing the team up on the scoreboard 90-80 with only seven and a half minutes to go.
The match was decided, with Redick and Williams the decisive factors. However, the Magic’s three starters re-entered the game and secured the victory. The Raptors closed the lead 98-91 with just over two minutes left in the game. But with two free throws, Williams ended the game for Orlando and the team took the win. The victory is the eighth of the last 10 games contested.
Despite the great performances by Chris Bosh and Jose Calderon, with 22 and 16 points respectively, the Raptors couldn’t find their way to the victory. Hidayet Turkoglu had a poor performance, scoring only 12 points and missing all six three-pointer attempts while Andrea Bargnani lost the battle with Dwight Howard in the boards and was inefficient on the pain. The game is the fourth defeat of Toronto’s last give games.
The best scorers for the Orlando Magic were Vince Carter with 24 points and 8 rebounds; J.J Redick with 19 points and 5 assists; Dwight Howard with 17 points and 12 rebounds; Jason Williams with 16 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists; and finally Rashard Lewis with 11 points and 4 rebounds. For the Toronto Raptors the best scorers were Chris Bosh with 22 points and 5 rebounds; Jose Calderon 16 points and 4 assists; Amir Johnson with 14 points and 8 rebounds; Hidayet Turkoglu with 12 points and 6 rebounds; and ultimately Andrea Bargnani with 11 points and 9 rebounds.
About the Author
Ally White is a top senior copy writer on NBA games and sports action for the online sports betting site: http://www.instantactionsports.com. Feel free to reprint this article in its entirety on your site; please leave all links in place and do not modify any of the content.