Quick Reaction: Raptors 109, Magic 99

Smooth start to this one. Flashed the pull-up game out of the mid-post and from beyond the arc. That range-y defense played a big part in the Magic’s poor showing from downtown, as he was often the guy running out to contest. Didn’t push very hard offensively, and was clearly happy to let OG and Fred get their reps in on that end. Pretty loose with the ball, which is never good. Nothing to write home about, mostly, but this game didn’t call for that.

He’s not FVV with the dribble packages, but he was lightning off the bounce. As I wrote in my piece from a couple weeks ago, he has no problem taking bigs off the bounce, and the Magic were far too eager to hedge or switch any screen action with him. With the ball in his hands he could only see runways to the bucket. Wasn’t the recipient of the Raptors side-top-side action, so not a big night from downtown, but his defense and off-the-dribble game provided tons of optimism for this one.

Wasn’t hesitant to take the shots in front of him. Made a big difference flashing middle in the early parts of the game, and for once, pulled from downtown every time there was an opportunity. He’s such a snug fit next to the Raptors rapidly relocating guards when he’s not scoring, but a game like tonight you can see how his 3’s seem like an avalanche on the opposing teams defense. His defense on Vucevic was fantastic, of course. He’s a big part of those 3-man rotations that the Raptors defense is famous for. Always accounting for the rotation 3 players away and bridging the gap. Easy game, and a good performance.

Second game in a row where he was happy to hand over the reins to Freddy. Made great rotations at the back end of the Raptors defense, turning rim-runs into 3-point attempts that the Magic were typically bad at. Spaced the floor when he had to, took a charge, brought some pop off the dribble, but a low-key game for Lowry. Albeit an effective one. Oddly, NBA.com listed him as the shooting guard in this game.

Put on the AND-1 mixtape tonight. Turned Disney World into Rucker park, and made every player across from him look silly. Copious dribble packages, high finishes off the glass, and deep pull-ups to keep the defense honest. Lifted bench units, added potency to the starting lineup, and broke the players in front of him down expeditiously. Feisty on defense, and fantastic on the chase or the dig as always. Real lead guard stuff.

Big bounce back game. Bouncy going up for those half-lob passes that Lowry likes to throw him, and strong on the way back up. He gets vertical on the offensive glass like no one else on the team and pressed Magic in the paint. Thought he did a good job on Vucevic as well. He didn’t have the timing as a roll man for the first couple seeding games, but tonight was a return to form. Physical and dangerous on the roll.

The pindown king. Looked dangerous downhill, as per usual, but we saw a revitalized shooting game that had been elusive for most of the bubble games. The Raptors made hay in the paint tonight, and Powell’s shooting opened up a lot of that space for the team. Strong, decisive takes from beyond and inside. A classic 19-20 Powell performance.

Looks out of sorts, and has for a little while. The trailing threes in transition are where he’s most comfortable, but those are few and far between. He’s not hitting the screens at the right angles and has to reset a lot of actions. It’ll come around, but he’s in a little funk.

He scored on a possession as the pick n’ roll ball handler! He’s at his best when he’s causing unbelievable havoc from the dunker spot or on the glass, but when it’s not working he is super erratic. This game seemed like a mix of everything, albeit in a limited time.

Went to Powell in the pin downs straight away, which was a staple of his offense this year, and might have helped get him rolling again. Clearly prioritized Anunoby’s post touches, as he ran a few flex screens for him to get post position. Perhaps a bit too hamfisted with bench lineups in the middle of the game, which resulted in 37 minutes for Lowry, who had to babysit the lead for longer than anyone would hope. Easy game, good enough.