Reserves save Raptors in win over lowly Magic

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The Toronto Raptors rarely seize victories the easy way, and it's impossible to predict which player will bring the latest heroics.

For much of Monday night in Toronto, it felt like a big upset was brewing, like the Raptors might not find a way this time. After going without a field goal for the final six minutes of the first half and allowing the Orlando Magic to seize an eight-point lead, it looked as if Toronto might lose to the young Magic for the first time in nine meetings. But as the Eastern Conference-leading Raptors often do, they woke up down the stretch, largely thanks this time to reserves Patrick Patterson and Lou Williams, and escaped with a 95-82 win and improved to 19-6.

Dwane Casey's words before Monday's game served as foreshadowing.  The Raptors coach spoke of the last time Orlando visited the Air Canada Centre on Nov. 11. It just seemed like the sort of polite thing an Eastern Conference-leading team would say about a plucky, young opponent well down in the standings. The Magic had "ambushed" Toronto during their last visit with a 33-point first quarter he said; they were playing very well at the moment; they were a squad well ahead of other NBA teams who featured young talent; they could attack the Raptors off the dribble if they weren't in the right defensive mindset.

The Raptors, coming off an overtime win over the New York Knicks in the Big Apple the night before, jumped out to an early lead at home on Tuesday. They were ahead 28-25 after the first quarter and should have cruised to an easy win.

Toronto was scoring at a good rate, but Tyler Hansbrough's lay-in with 6:52 left in the second quarter would be the team's last field goal of the half. The Raptors went totally dry from the field in the final six minutes, allowing Orlando's Ben Gordon and Tobias Harris to score at will, while their own shots refused to fall.  DeMar DeRozan sat courtside, in a tan blazer beside the team's coaches, still sidelined with that nagging groin injury, and the team seemed to be missing him more than ever. The Raptors allowed their young opponents to take a 52-44 lead into the half.

But Toronto quickly regained control when they returned after half-time. Kyle Lowry, who had just six points in the first half, exploded for eight more right away. James Johnson made big buckets. Landry Fields had key breaks, the long-injured Raptor hitting a timely three that brought all of his teammates to their feet. Patterson started to hit threes like he had the night before in New York. Toronto held a 71-65 lead as the final quarter began and then kept stretching it.

Williams lead the way for Toronto with 18 points, while Lowry finished the night with 17 and eight assists. Amir Johnson contributed 11, while Patterson had ten and a career-high six assists.

"It's going to be different people on different nights, and the last couple of nights it's been Pat," said Casey. "[His game] is growing. Coming out of Sacramento, then Houston, he's added something every year, mostly in his three-point shooting. Now he's got an in-between game because he understands teams are going to run him off the three-point line, so he's doing a great job. Pat's going to get it and make the decision – shoot, pass, whatever, and he's doing a great job."

Patterson is standing out on scouting reports lately, especially after his defensive performance on Carmelo Anthony the previous night. He's scored in double-digits in nine of his last ten games. Coming into Monday, he had shot .645 (20-for-31) from the field over the last four games, which is the best shooting percentage in the NBA during that span.

"He's shooting the ball extremely well, better than the first time we saw him and better again than the second time we saw him," said Magic coach Jacque Vaughn. "He's a guy that's on your scouting report because you have to play a little differently, whether you'll put a small on him or a big on him, his ability to stretch the floor. He's shooting very confidently right now, and that second unit is one of the best in the league."

Next up, the Raptors will host the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday, which is Drake Night at the Air Canada Centre.

Casey hopes going forward his Raptors will avoid having to play so many hard minutes.

"We've been through it now, and our trust in them, as a coaching staff is there, but we shouldn't keep making it hard for ourselves because you pay for these hard minutes down the line," said Casey. "It's it got to be a grind it out game, we'll have to grind it out, but if you have a chance to impose your will, you've got to do it early so you don't have to pay for it down the road."