Magic back in the chase
April 22, 2019
The Orlando Magic secured the 7th seed in the eastern conference, which gives them a playoff berth for the first time since 2011-2012 season. They have a really hard challenge in front of them as they are set to play the 2nd seed Toronto Raptors led by all-star small forward Kawhi Leonard and all-star point guard Kyle Lowry. But the Magic were ready for them in game 1 after a clutch performance by D.J Augustin who scored 25 points including the game-winning 3 pointer with 3.5 seconds left in the game. But in game 2 Wednesday night, it was a totally different story as the Raptors led the Magic 66-47 going into the second half, then Kawhi Leonard’s 37 points were too much for the Magic as they fell in game two with a score of 111-82. ESPN Staff Writer Kevin Arnovitz said, “Toronto wanted to get more penetration and ball reversals in game 2 to decongest the half-court against Orlando’s long defense.” The Magic look to bounce back and reclaim the series lead as Game 3 is on Friday. They also have home court advantage and will look to build off the electric Orlando crowd. Overall, the Magic are hoping to bring back a championship to Orlando.