ORLANDO, Fla. _ For the last five-plus seasons, the Orlando Magic have had trouble stopping losing streaks.
They received no help Wednesday night from one of the best teams in the NBA, the Toronto Raptors.
Paced by six players scoring in double figures, the Raptors broke open a close game in the fourth quarter and beat the Magic, 117-104, at Amway Center.
DeMar DeRozan scored a game-high 21 points for Toronto, and his backcourt mate Kyle Lowry added 17, seven rebounds and 11 assists.
Orlando has lost seven games in a row.
The Magic also received balanced scoring Wednesday, with seven players in double figures, led by Evan Fournier and reserve Mario Hezonja, who had 17 points apiece.
The Magic cut their deficit to 97-96 when Hezonja converted a three-point play with 7:12 remaining in the fourth quarter.
But the Raptors pulled away from that point on.
On Toronto's next trip down the floor, Delon Wright missed a 3-pointer, but C.J. Miles collected the offensive rebound and scored on a dunk.
A few sequences later, Shelvin Mack lost the ball to Fred VanVleet, and VanVleet passed the ball ahead to Wright for a breakaway dunk.
The Raptors suddenly led 101-96 _ and it was only the beginning of a 13-2 run.
All season long, Dwane Casey's Raptors have done a good job of beating the teams they were supposed to beat.
The Raptors' spot in the standings proves it. Led Lowry and DeRozan, the Raptors sit atop the Eastern Conference.
Casey and his assistant coaches have preached the importance of not underestimating opponents.
"We can't take anybody for granted," Casey said before tipoff Wednesday.
"Guys hear it every day, and I see their eyes roll. But I'm still going to preach it. It's easy to get up (for a game) when you see Michael Jordan or Magic Johnson across the way from you. But when a team doesn't have a great record, still they have professional players. They get paid the 1st and 15th just like everybody else. And if you don't get up and get ready for them, you will get your butt kicked in this league."
Casey expected a tough challenge from the Magic, who are out of the playoff hunt.
He had reason to worry.
Last season, the Magic (18-43) and Raptors (43-17) split their four games against each other.
Magic players were looking forward to playing a top-tier opponent.
"It feels like DeRozan kind of adjusted his game to the new NBA," Fournier said before tipoff. "He's shooting more threes and a little bit less mid-range. They're just a very good team. They have a few All-Stars. They have a really good defense and have a very good bench. Definitely a tough game."
The Magic fell behind 90-83 late in the third quarter when Lowry sank a driving floater.
But the Magic came back. They received back-to-back 3-pointers from Hezonja and Mack to cut their deficit to 90-89 entering the fourth quarter.
The Magic bench had been awful in the team's three losses following the All-Star break, but the reserves performed much better against the Raptors _ until the midway point of the fourth quarter, when the Raptors started their 13-2 run.
Most of the first half resembled an All-Star Game: Neither team played much defense.
The Magic made 16 of their 21 first-quarter shots, a success rate that typically would give a team a big lead. But the Magic still trailed 42-37 because the Raptors also had gone 16 of 21, were more efficient from 3-point range and got to the free-throw line more often.
The Magic hurt their chances at the free-throw line.
The team made only 13 of its 23 foul shots.
The Magic did themselves no favors.
