ORLANDO, Fla. _ When Orlando Magic officials assembled their 2016-17 roster, they envisioned their team winning games exactly like it won Friday night.
With defense.
It wasn't pretty, but the Magic's 102-94 victory over the Toronto Raptors at Amway Center followed team officials' summertime blueprint exactly.
The Magic held the Raptors to 39 percent shooting _ the lowest field-goal percentage by a Magic opponent since Dec. 23.
The Raptors scored 36 points in the paint in the first half, but the Magic limited them to 10 paint points in the second half.
It should be noted that DeMar DeRozan, Toronto's All-Star swingman and leading scorer, sat out the game due to an injury. But at this stage in their disappointing season, the Magic don't care about the opponents' problems. The Magic will accept wins any way they can get them.
Serge Ibaka scored 20 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and blocked three shots. Evan Fournier added 20 points and collected 10 rebounds. Nikola Vucevic and C.J. Watson scored 18 points apiece.
The Magic withstood an 0-for-7 shooting night by Aaron Gordon _ a night in which Gordon air-balled a corner 3-pointer, an 8-foot turnaround jumper and a free-throw attempt.
Toronto made a run early in the fourth quarter.
Raptors reserve guard Fred VanVleet opened the period with a 3-pointer. And with 8:53 remaining, All-Star point guard Kyle Lowry sank a step-back 3-pointer as he absorbed a foul by Bismack Biyombo. Lowry's four-point play cut the Magic's lead to 79-78.
Two Magic possessions later, Fournier sliced through the lane and scored on a scoop shot as he was fouled by Cory Joseph. Fournier made the ensuing free throw.
On the Raptors' next trip down the court, Watson stole the ball from VanVleet. A few seconds later, Watson made a 3-pointer to give the Magic an 85-78 lead and force Raptors coach Dwane Casey to call a timeout.
A few minutes later, after the Raptors cut their deficit to 89-84, Fournier made a driving floater over Raptors shot-blocking big man Lucas Nogueira.
Ahead 91-87 with 2:23 to go, the Magic missed three consecutive free throws. First, Vucevic missed a free throw, and when Joseph was whistled for a technical foul for arguing with an official, Fournier missed a technical free throw. Seconds later, Vucevic missed his second free-throw attempt.
Watson rescued the Magic (20-32). Watson stole the ball from Lowry and went coast to coast for a layup. Watson's play extended the Magic's lead to 93-87.
The Raptors (30-21) suffered from injury problems Friday. DeRozan missed his third consecutive game because of a sore right ankle. Power forward Patrick Patterson suffered a left-knee contusion during the first quarter and didn't return to the game.
Just five days earlier, the Magic defeated the Raptors, 114-113, in Toronto. The Magic made 53 percent of their shots that night, prompting coach Frank Vogel to call it one of the Magic's most "confident" offensive performances of the season.
Early in Friday's game, the Raptors went inside repeatedly, with center Jonas Valanciunas leading the way. Valanciunas scored 13 of his 18 points in the first half.
The Magic trailed 54-52 at halftime, but they intensified their defense early in the third quarter. The Raptors missed 12 of their first 13 shots of the period, and the Magic surged to a 70-59 lead.
The Raptors managed to score only 12 points in the quarter _ the lowest point total for a Magic opponent in any quarter this season.
Vucevic scored 14 points in the same quarter.
He had outscored the Raptors on his own.
That was the defense-first scenario Magic officials had envisioned in July _ a scenario that has come true only rarely in the months that have followed.
