The Orlando Magic just can’t seem to solve the Toronto Raptors. Of course, the Magic probably didn’t expect Paul Watson to play more like Paul Pierce.
Watson, making his first start of the season, drained eight 3-pointers on his way to a career-high 30 points as the Raptors pulled away from the Magic in the second half to post a 113-102 victory on Friday at Amalie Arena in Tampa.
Wendell Carter Jr. finished with 20 points and nine rebounds to lead the Magic (18-38), who couldn’t build off Wednesday’s 115-106 road win over the Bulls that snapped a six-game losing streak.
Cole Anthony posted 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists as he returned to the Orlando starting lineup for the first time since Feb. 9 while Chuma Okeke had 14 points but just two in the second half when the Magic were outscored 66-51.
“The big thing is in the second half, we had played three pretty intense, purposeful halves — the two in Chicago and the first half tonight — and we just didn’t have the same energy level,” Magic coach Steve Clifford said. “We played like a tired second half. They were energetic and Watson was terrific.”
He certainly was.
The second-year forward, who started in place of Pascal Siakam (rest), posted seven points in the first half — more than double his season average — then really got going after the break.
Watson nearly eclipsed his previous career-high of 22 points in the third quarter when he went 7-for-8 from the field and 6-of-7 from the 3-point line as he poured in 20 points. In fact, Watson outscored the Magic by one.
Watson wound up 8-for-11 from the 3-point line, with the eight 3s setting a career-high — and matching Orlando’s game total.
Watson’s eight 3-pointers also equaled the career-high for Pierce, who knocked down his eight on Nov. 9, 2001, against the Seattle SuperSonics while playing for the Boston Celtics.
“He was knocking down some 3s and he kind of single-handedly opened the game up on his own,” Carter said of Watson.
Orlando absorbed its eighth straight regular-season loss against Toronto. Counting the 2019 playoffs, the Magic are 1-12 in the past 13 games against the Raptors, who posted double-digit wins in sweeping the three-game series this season.
Reserve forward Yuta Watanabe added 21 points as Toronto (23-34) outscored Orlando 53-36 in bench points. Watanabe and Watson were a combined 17-of-24 from the field.
Orlando, meanwhile, played without Michael Carter-Williams (ankle sprain), Mo Bamba (left hip contusion) and Otto Porter Jr. (left foot pain). Carter-Williams is expected to miss multiple games after injuring his ankle on Wednesday.
That will give Anthony a chance to gain more valuable playing time in the starting point guard role. Clifford was encouraged by what he saw from Anthony, whose 19 points came on an efficient 6-for-12 shooting. Included in those 12 attempts was a rushed shot to beat the shot clock and another to beat the first-half clock.
“I thought he did a good job,” Clifford said of Anthony. “He had stretches where we were down 10, 12 [points] and we just went to pick-and-rolls for him and we were getting good shots quickly. So it gave us a chance to get back in the game. We just couldn’t get any stops. So I think he’s very locked in and I thought he did a lot of good things.”
The Magic did a good job protecting the ball — committing just 11 turnovers against the team that forces the most turnovers in the NBA — but weren’t able to take advantage of Toronto’s 17 turnovers, converting them into just 10 points.
Orlando used a 13-2 run over the last 2:48 to erase a seven-point deficit and build a 51-47 halftime lead. Carter and Okeke combined for 28 points on 10-of-15 shooting in the half to power the Magic.
Points in the paint (14) were hard to come by for the Magic, but they overcame it by going 7-of-13 from the 3-point line.
The long-range shooting success didn’t carry over to the second half. Orlando went 1-for-10 from behind the arc, and when the points didn’t come in the paint, the offense dried up for long stretches.
Orlando pushed its lead to six on a dunk by Okeke early in the third before Watson got rolling and took the Raptors with him. His six 3-pointers and 20 points sparked a 29-8 run over a 6:34 stretch that produced a 76-61 advantage. At one point, Watson accounted for 69% of the Raptors’ point total in the quarter.
The Magic couldn’t gain traction in the fourth quarter to carve anything significant from the Raptors’ lead. Orlando got within 11 points at 79-68 but Toronto kept the visitors from getting any closer until the final 30 seconds. The Raptors led by as many as 18 points in the fourth.
“Some missed defensive rotations, and our intensity level just wasn’t where it was before,” Okeke said of what ailed the Magic.
The Magic return to Amway Center to take on the Houston Rockets on Sunday. The game tips off at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast on Bally Sports Florida.
This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email Roy Parry at rparry@orlandosentinel.com. Follow on Twitter @osroyparry
