On March 29, the Toronto Raptors dealt the Orlando Magic their worst defeat ever, winning 139-87 in Toronto.
This past Wednesday, almost seven months after that game, the Magic faced the Raptors again and lost badly, this time 129-99 in Toronto, bringing their record to 1-3 for the 2026-27 season.
Even with a new NBA season and a coaching change for Orlando since their last encounter, it seems like Toronto has complete dominance when these teams meet.
Things aren’t about to get any easier for the Magic.
Wednesday’s matchup was just the first of two games Orlando will play in Toronto this week. On Friday, they’ll face off against the Raptors again to kick off their Emirates NBA Cup schedule.
After Wednesday’s rough outing where Orlando shot only 28.6% from beyond the arc and had 20 turnovers leading to another 20 points for Toronto, things aren’t looking good. Yes, injuries are affecting the Magic’s performance-having Paolo Banchero and Jalen Suggs would definitely help-but it’s worth noting that Kawhi Leonard was also out for the Raptors, who simply played better on Wednesday.
The silver lining is that it’s an 82-game season; Orlando will have another opportunity on Friday to bounce back from this disappointing performance.
Magic coach Sean Sweeney pointed out how damaging turnovers were during Wednesday’s game. He understands they need to improve in that area and is eager to see progress in Friday’s matchup.
Sweeney also mentioned how poorly the Magic’s offense has been functioning lately. A recurring issue has been their struggles with shooting from long range.
Mainly, some of their best shooters haven’t been hitting shots consistently.
Specifically, Desmond Bane has had a tough time so far; he shot just 3-for-14 overall and hit only 2-of-8 from three-point territory on Wednesday.
Apart from Bane’s difficulties, Anthony Black, Franz Wagner, and Wendell Carter Jr. went a combined 0-for-8 from deep. Considering how crucial those four players are for success-especially with Banchero and Suggs sidelined-they need to step up their game.
The bright spot amid Orlando’s shooting issues is Tristan da Silva’s consistent strong performances. In Wednesday’s loss against the Raptors, he led his team with 20 points off the bench while shooting an impressive 80% both overall and from three-point range.
In these first four games of the season, da Silva is averaging 14.5 points with a field goal percentage of 51.2% and a three-point percentage of 45.2%. Given how well he’s playing right now, he could be key in turning things around if others can support him effectively.
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