Magic vs Raptors:
Coaches:
Nick Nurse (2-3)- The 3rd former NBA champion that Mosley has faced in 6 games.
Jamahl Mosley (1-4)- Coaching in his 6thNBA game – grabbed his first win on Sunday night in NYC.
Record last season:
Raptors- 27-45 (12th) – Selected Scottie Barnes 4th overall
Magic- 21-51 (14th)
Players to watch:
Raptors-
·Pascal Siakum- Not able to start the year with the Raptors, his torn labrum came in May of this year, expected recovery 5 months…so he should be back soon.
·Scottie Barnes- Selected 4th out of FSU, he’s been everything and more for this team. 12 points has been his lowest output of the season. 25 was his high against Boston. Scored 18 in their last outing (IND). Averaging 17ppg and shooting 54% from the field. Great rebounder as well. He’s only made 1-6 from 3…but he’s just playing within himself and this system right now.
·Fred VanVleet- His 6th year with Toronto. He has been fully anointed the new leader of this team with Lowry down in Miami. Last 3 games 26, 15, and 20. He shot 85% from 3 on Wednesday against the Pacers.
Magic-
·Franz Wagner- He has been the biggest bright spot on this team early on, fans are absolutely in love with his play. Franz is always in the right spot, he plays his role so well, and he seemingly gets a bucket or a corner 3 any time the team needs one. 15 points in his last 2 outings. 41% from 3 – only 5 games into his NBA career.
·Cole Anthony- He’s the lifeblood of this team, the team goes as he goes right now. 29 and 24 point outings in 2 of his last 3. And when he scores, it translates to a winning effort. The Magic should’ve beat Charlotte when he scored 24 and they did beat the Knicks when he put up 29.
·Wendell Carter/Mo Bamba- I’ll admit, their pairing has been much more effective than I thought it would be. This starting unit as a whole hasn’t been all that bad, a lot of that has to do with the frontline. The 2 combined for 20 boards in Wednesday’s game against Charlotte. No surprise, they lead the team in rebounding on the year.
Keys to victory:
1.Turnovers are killing this team- 8 committed in the 4th quarter against Charlotte, a game that the Magic had the advantage in (85-77) headed to the 4th. The Magic can’t out talent or out-experience teams right now, which means they definitely don’t have enough margin for error to account for sloppy play.
2.Don’t get pushed around: This isn’t the same Raptors team that won the title back in 2019, but Nick Nurse still coaches a style and has some personnel to support it – that can be very physical and very in your face. They want to knock you off your spot and make you uncomfortable. Magic can’t let that happen.
3.Cole Anthony said it best: “It’s a men’s league,” -“The league isn’t going to wait for us.”…Jalen Suggs is struggling but he needs to be a part of the solution for this team. Slow down, pick your spots, and get your teammates involved if your not feeling it. Suggs was 0 for 4 from three, 3 for 10 from the field with four turnovers. He committed two critical miscues in the fourth quarter. You can’t be a reason why this team loses games…and if he’s a contributing factor in wins…it will do a lot to accelerate his growth as a player.
Photo: Getty Images