Scottie Barnes scored a game-high 28 points to lead the Toronto Raptors to a 129-99 victory over the visiting Orlando Magic on Wednesday.
Barnes bounced back from a scoreless performance in Sunday’s road loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, when he missed all 12 of his field-goal attempts.
RJ Barrett finished with 25 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Immanuel Quickley added 16 points, Ja’Kobe Walter pitched in 14 points, Jamal Shead tallied 13 points and Collin Murray-Boyles registered 10 points. Trayce Jackson-Davis pulled down 11 rebounds for the Raptors.
Tristan da Silva led Orlando with 20 points off the bench, Franz Wagner posted 15 points, Desmond Bane produced 13 points and Jase Richardson put up 10 points. Wendell Carter Jr. had 10 rebounds for the Magic.
Injuries have taken a toll on both teams. Orlando played without leading scorer Paolo Banchero (right ankle) and Jalen Suggs (right knee), while Toronto played its first game without star Kawhi Leonard (left knee).
The Raptors pulled away in the third quarter, outscoring the Magic 34-23.
Barnes made all seven of his field-goal attempts and scored 16 points in the third quarter, including eight consecutive Toronto points. His up-and-under three-point play gave the Raptors a 98-72 lead with 2:26 remaining in the period.
Earlier, Anthony Black capped an 8-0 first-quarter run that gave Orlando a 12-7 lead.
The Raptors erased an early nine-point deficit as Barrett’s tip-in sparked a 10-0 run that gave Toronto a 23-21 lead.
Toronto closed the opening quarter with a 9-2 rally, highlighted by a 3-pointer from Jamison Battle and two treys from Barrett, to take a 32-25 advantage.
Late in the second quarter, Barnes’ 360-degree dunk pushed Toronto’s lead to 67-51. After a floater by da Silva, Barnes’ jumper gave the Raptors a 69-53 halftime lead.
The Raptors opened the second half with eight straight points, extending their lead to 77-53 as Barnes scored the final five points of the scoring spurt.
Richardson scored all 10 of his points in the third quarter, but Orlando still faced a 103-76 deficit heading into the fourth quarter.
