Paolo Banchero, Jalen Suggs Spark Orlando Magic Victory vs. Toronto Raptors
Jalen Suggs and Paolo Banchero did it all and then some for the Orlando Magic to lead the team to a pivotal 126-107 In-Season Tournament win over the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday at the Amway Center.
With the win, Orlando (9-5) is now 2-1 in the In-Season Tournament and has won four straight games.
"This was going to be a physical, knockout-type game, and our guys took that challenge on," Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley said. "I think that's the growth of this team. Recognizing the position our coaches are putting them in, in order to be successful and they're taking these on and running with it."
Suggs had 18 points, four assists and three rebounds. Banchero led the team with 25 points, five rebounds and two assists.
Jalen Suggs was all over the court in a pivotal in-tournament win for the Magic.
Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports
Dennis Schröder was one of five Raptors (6-8) to score in double digits. Schröder led Toronto with 24 points.
Orlando will wrap up Group Play on Friday when it hosts the Boston Celtics. Boston is 2-0 and leads the Magic and Brooklyn Nets in Eastern Conference Group C by 0.5 games. Brooklyn is also 2-1 but holds a head-to-head advantage over Orlando with its 124-104 win on Nov. 14 at Barclays Center.
Toronto is 0-2 and tied for last place with the Chicago Bulls.
Orlando's offensive explosion against Toronto comes on the heels of a 128-116 win on Sunday against the Indiana Pacers.
The Magic got off to a red-hot start, leading by as many as 19 points in the second half. Suggs was a spark plug from the opening tip with eight points, a full-court pass to Anthony Black that led to a dunk, and a steal in the first quarter.
"Did you see him?" Mosley said. "One moment, he was asking for a sub because he had played himself to exhaustion, and the next moment, he makes a three, and they're calling a timeout. His energy, it's just contagious. Our guys know that when he comes to the bench, and he's fired up, he's getting the crowd going. It's just incredible he's just willing to throw his body everywhere in order to be a lockdown defender."
For Suggs, the way he's been playing is just him being himself on the court.
"That's just how I was raised," Suggs said. "I don't know how to play the game any other way...Seeing the boys get energized, stand up and cheer for me when I do it, it makes me want to go do it again."
Cole Anthony, who had a double-double off the bench with 15 points and 10 assists, also spoke about how contagious Suggs' energy has been to the team. He also praised Jonathan Issac's play defensively. Isaac scored nine points and had two blocked shots against Toronto.
"Jalen and JI, I like to call [them] the heads of the snake on the defensive end," Anthony said. "Those are two dudes who have all-defensive team potential. I'm on the bench watching Jalen make plays on the defensive end and it makes me want to go out there and guard. That energy is contagious"
The Magic controlled throughout and led by at least 11 points throughout the second half. Orlando led by as many as 27 points at one point in the fourth quarter.
Orlando dominated in points in the paint (68-36), second-chance points (24-5), fast break points (23-9) and points off of the bench (56-32). The Magic was also opportunistic, scoring 31 points off of turnovers.
The Magic will be back in action on Wednesday when it hosts the Denver Nuggets (10-4) at 7 p.m. at Amway Center.
"We've been building for this," Suggs said. "Now our moment is here and just continue to seize it. Continue to work hard and do the things we're doing every day and the rest will take care of itself."
