Raptors bench carries the load in comeback win over Magic

On the second night of a back-to-back, Toronto once again had to dig deep, and really kick, scream, and fight their way to a victory. After pulling off a wild comeback against Golden State, Toronto found themselves down 21 at one point against Orlando, and again, they did not panic. It would have been easy for the team to mail it in with the excuse of playing two nights in a row, but last night they decided that failure was not an option. Toronto star players such as Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram did not have remarkable games, and this was not your typical comeback win. It was Toronto’s bench, led by Jam Shead, Gradey Dick, Ja’Kobe Walter, and Collin Murray-Boyles that gave Toronto just what they needed to squeak by and pick up this win.

As soon as the game began it looked as if Orlando was going to run away with this game and never look back. After an Ochai Agbaji dunk got the scoring started, Orlando went on a 14-0 run, while Toronto looked as discombobulated as could be on offense. Possessions weren’t getting started until deep into the shot clock, contested looks were being forced up, and without a specific player to focus on and attack on Orlando, Toronto was in a dry spell. 

Dick came off the bench and had one of his best, if not his best game in months. In just 15 minutes, Dick dropped 15 points and he finally did what Raptor fans have been clamoring for him to do for ages now, hit his threes. Dikc finished 2-4 from three, and although they were just spot up triples, him taking and making these shots is the key to him being a mainstay in the rotation. He filled the lane in transition well, he was confident cutting to the rim and finishing as well, and his cuts netted him some free throws as well. 

Dick was the leading scorer at halftime, but he was inexplicably only given 3 minutes in the second half to keep his hot night going. Still though, on a night where the stars weren’t holding up their end of the bargain, Dick stepped up.

Shead turned in another great performance last night, finishing with a team and career high 19 points and 5 assists. Orlando was content with leaving Shead virtually unguarded or with a late contest on his triples, and he made them pay for that. His on ball driving was what stood out the most, he was blazing his way out of pick n’ rolls, finishing high off the glass over the rim protection, or dropping in floaters. 

Shead is not the best finisher in the world but last night his approach seemed more patient, his game is usually super sped up, but he was more under control last night than he’s ever been. Shead received a handoff from Barnes, and then exploded to the rim, and finished a layup through contact to tie this game at 102-102.

Murray-Boyles didn’t shoot well from the field, finishing with 4 points on 1-6 shooting, but he impacted the game in other tangible ways that aided this team in their comeback. He finished with 12 rebounds, 7 of them being on the offensive end, his gargantuan frame was needed against the Magic on the glass, and this size also allowed him to provide some resistance down the stretch when Toronto needed stops. Walter also turned in a good game off the bench, but it was his energetic defense that kept him on the floor, his lateral quickness was what was needed to halt the Magic’s offensive onslaught, and he was a key part of holding them at bay in the 4th. 

Shead, Walter, and Murray-Boyles got to close this game against Orlando, and they had the trust of Darko Rajakovic to bring this one home. Starting point guard Immanuel Quickley was benched down the stretch, as he was having an abysmal shooting night. 

Orlando only scored 6 points in the final 9:16 of the 4th quarter, which was all Toronto needed to climb back in, and eventually win this game. They had a chance to win the game on a Paolo step-back three, but Barnes’ outstretched arm on the contest was enough to force the miss, and secure the victory for Toronto. These are the types of wins that just make you feel good, and Toronto now has a much-needed day off and they return to action against Denver on New Years Eve.

The post Raptors bench carries the load in comeback win over Magic first appeared on Raptors Republic.