A Sunday evening game against an Orlando Magic team that is right on the heels of the Raptors in the standings… what could go wrong?
Well, Darko Rajakovic told the media before the game that he felt like a Hospital PR staffer today, reading out the team’s injury report. Which is fair, it was a long one, which continued to change in the lead-up to the game.
In the end, Immanuel Quickley (plantar fasciitis) was ruled out, Brandon Ingram (heel) was out, Collin Murray-Boyles (back spasms) was out, and Jamison
Battle (illness) was out. RJ Barrett (shoulder) would play, and Trayce Jackson-Davis would be available. Jamal Shead and Ja’Kobe Walter started in place of Ingram and Quickley.
Now, if you read this far and thought, ‘probably an L for the Raptors, I guess,’ you wouldn’t have been alone. You’re missing your No. 1 offensive option, and Barrett is playing in what probably is a little bit of discomfort. Could have easily been a loss, but the Raptors apparently didn’t let that phase them. This turned out to be a record-breaking game for Toronto, in a good way. We’ve had a few record-breaking (derogatory) games in the past few years, so it was nice to get a good one in there.
“There were a lot of injuries today,” Rajakovic said after the game. “I felt like in the locker room before the game, there was a lot of determination to compete.”
The Raptors came out running, gaining a 20+ point lead on the Magic in the first half off a MASSIVE performance from Sandro Mamukelashvili. Mamu scored 15 points on 6-9 shooting in the first half, and two of those were three-pointers.
The Raptors also went on a 31-0 run in the first half, which is the largest run in NBA history since they started tracking these kinds of things in the mid-90s. They were up 27 points over the Magic at halftime, having scored 70 points in the first half.
What caused that run? “Defence,” said Rajakovic.
The good times kept on rolling for the Raptors in the second half. Scottie Barnes achieved a career-high 15 assists before the fourth quarter even arrived. Toronto went into the final frame up 113-68 over the Magic. The garbage time lineups OPENED the final quarter for Toronto.
Despite not playing a minute of action in the fourth quarter, Scottie Barnes ended the game with 23 points, 15 assists, 5 rebounds and shot 2-2 from three and 9-14 from the field. Barrett scored 24 points, had 3 assists, 3 rebounds and shot 8-14 from the field.
Mamukelashvili ended the game with 19 points off the bench, shooting 8-13 from the field. It was his run in the first quarter that really got the energy up for the injured Raptors, and that energy was sustained through the entire game. After the game, Mamu spoke to the slim margin of error when the conference is this close to approaching the playoffs, saying, “You’d be lying if you say you don’t check the standings.” While he noted it’s not necessarily fun to be in a race this tight, he said it makes you lock in a lot more.
In the end, the Raptors won 139-87 over the Magic, one point shy of tying their franchise record for the largest margin of victory (53). It ended up being the worst loss in the Orlando Magic franchise history as well.
The Raptors are winding down their regular season now, with eight games left to go. They are currently trying to hold on to their 5th-place spot, avoid the play-in tournament, and secure a solid spot in the NBA playoffs. Their next game is on the road against Detroit.
