TORONTO — Franz Wagner had 19 points, Paolo Banchero scored 11 of his 17 points in the third quarter and the Orlando Magic beat short-handed Toronto 113-103 Friday night, handing the Raptors their sixth straight loss, their worst in the season.
Jalen Suggs scored 16 points, Wendell Carter Jr. added 15 and Cole Anthony scored 12 for the Magic, who have won seven of nine.
“It’s hard to win in this league, so I think it says a lot about our group that we’re finding ways to win games,” Franz Wagner said. “At least for me, this is the first year we’re really doing this. This progress is really cool to see.
Banchero also had nine rebounds and eight assists.
Gary Trent Jr. scored a season-high 31 points for the Raptors, and Immanuel Quickley had 10 points and 10 assists. Quickley has a career-high eight games with 10 or more assists this season, all coming since he was traded to Toronto on Dec. 30.
The Raptors were without All-Star forward Scottie Barnes (left hand), center Jakob Poeltl (left pinky), forward Chris Boucher (right knee), guard DJ Carton (right ankle) and forward RJ Barrett (personnel).
Before the game, Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic said Barrett would get all the time he needed following the death of his younger brother, Nathan Barrett. The Barrett family said in a statement released Thursday evening that Nathan, 20, died Tuesday. The statement did not reveal the cause of death.
“Players and coaches, we are all in contact with RJ and his family, and they know we are here for them,” Rajakovic said. “They will benefit from any type of support we can offer them.”
The Raptors honored Nathan Barrett with a moment of silence before the reveal.
Toronto arrived having won 17 of its last 20 home meetings with the Magic, including eight of the previous nine. The Raptors led by nine in the first half, but were unable to take the lead.
“As the match progressed, their offensive qualities were fully revealed,” Rajakovic said.
Banchero, who made all six of his field goal attempts in Wednesday’s win over Brooklyn, shot 2 of 8 in the first half Friday. He finished 5 of 15 from the field and went 6 of 6 from the free throw line.
Magic coach Jamahl Mosley praised Banchero for his success in the third after a tough first half.
“That’s what growth is,” Mosley said. “But that’s who he is, a young man who is able to recognize how the game is played, to not put his head down and get discouraged because he knows how much we believe in him. He knows how much his teammates believe in him and what he can do, and that’s what we saw there.
Toronto led 69-67 after Jordan Nwora’s 3-pointer with 4:26 left in the third, but Banchero scored seven points as the Magic responded with a 14-0 run. Orlando took an 84-73 lead into the fourth.
“They were playing great basketball there to start the third,” Suggs said. “We resisted that and continued to move the ball and make great shots. Defensively, I think we increased the pressure a little and that brought us good things.
FOLLOWING
The teams play again in Orlando on Sunday night.
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