Raptors stall a six game losing streak as they edge past Orlando in a nail biter
Sony Weems made a crucial 3-pointer with 7.1 seconds left on the clock and the Raptors kept their cool to nail four consecutive free throws, as they defied all odds and romped to a 110-106 victory over a powerful Orlando Magic.
Toronto had been on the receiving end of many close encounters this season but they were not willing to go down this time as they held their nerves in the dying seconds of the match to edge past the Orlando Magic in a nerve wracking marathon.
Andrea Bargani led the Raptors charge as he scored 27 points but it was Sony Weems and DeMar DeRozan, who lifted their game when it really mattered as Toronto ended a six game losing streak in style. DeMar finished the match with 26 points and 7 rebounds
while Sony Weems had 14 points with 3 assists.
First half
The match started at a furious pace with both teams going all out at each other, neither willing to hand over the advantage to its opponent. Both the teams had a maximum of a four point lead in the first five minutes of the match, but that was the biggest
advantage either team held till the half time as the match swung from one end to the other.
Mickael Pietrus made the first of his eight triple pointers just before the buzzer to give Orlando the lead at 31-30.The second quarter continued to be evenly contested. There were 25 lead changes and 12 ties as the teams went into the break with the score
evenly poised at 59 and a 18,846 crowd at the Amway center set for a thriller.
Second Half
The teams maintained their pace going into the second half as well. With the score at 77-76 in favour of the Raptors, Jose Calderon made a three point shot, and, Julian Wright made another a minute later, as the Raptors went on an 8-1 run to gain an eight
point advantage with 1:32 remaining in the third.
Raptors leading by seven points going into the final period made a confident start as Jose Calderon nailed in a three pointer to hand them a 10 point advantage, their biggest of the match.
Magic trailed by eight points with 6:09 to go, staged a fight back, as they rallied back to reel off a 13-5 run. Pietrus’s seventh 3-pointer made it all square at 103 with 28 seconds left on the clock to send shivers down the Raptors Camp.
Raptors, who are rather accustomed to this sort of situation in the season responded immediately as Sony Weems let rip a three pointer over the outstretched arm of Dwight Howard and Jose Calderon tipped in two free throws to hand Toronto a five point advantage.
Mickael Pietrus slipped in another 3-pointer to make it a two point game but committed a crucial turnover in the dying seconds as DeMar DeRozan made two free throws to seal the match for the Raptors.
Dwight Howard led the charge for his team as he scored 25 points, 15 coming in the first half, and 8 rebounds. Mickael Pietrus shot 8-for-11 from outside the arc for 24 points, while Jameer Nelson had 23 points and 8 assists.
Tags: