In Orlando, DeRozan silenced the crowd when the game clocked reached 0:00, as his baselined fadeaway shot sunk, giving the visiting Raptors a two-point win over their Eastern Conference rivals.
Orlando’s Nik Vucevic led six Magic scorers in double figures with 19 points and also took down a game-high 14 rebounds, as this report states.
DeRozan’s game-winner is the first for the Raptors since 2006 against the Los Angeles Clippers.
On defending DeRozan, Magic forward Arron Afflalo said, “I was actually guarding him. They set a screen, we switched it. I figured he didn’t have enough time to pass so the shot was the play . . . Both teams made good plays down the stretch. They just got the last one.”
Video of DeRozan’s last-minute heroics is already on YouTube, as well as other video sites.
The Raptors win completes the four-game sweep over Orlando this season, and gives them a game-and-a-half lead over the Magic in the Eastern Conference. Orlando is nipping at Toronto’s heels, but both teams need to get through Detroit, Philadelphia and Boston to snag the 8th seed in the East.
