D.J. Augustin's Late 3 Powers Magic to Game 1 Upset of Kawhi Leonard, Raptors
In their first playoff game in seven years, the Orlando Magic stunned the Toronto Raptors on D.J. Augustin's go-ahead three with 1.4 seconds remaining to steal a 104-101 Game 1 win in the Eastern Conference first-round series.
Despite a 42-40 overall record, the Magic finished the season as hot as any team in the East. They won 21 of their last 30 regular-season games with the NBA's best defensive efficiency and three-point defense during that span.
Augustin picked an opportune time to have his best game of the season. The 11-year veteran had 25 points and six assists. Seven Magic players reached double figures in scoring. Aaron Gordon posted a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Kawhi Leonard (25 points, six rebounds) and Pascal Siakam (24 points, nine rebounds) led the way for Toronto. Kyle Lowry was held scoreless on seven field-goal attempts.
Kyle Lowry's Ongoing Playoff Struggles Will Doom Raptors
Among the reasons analysts have been optimistic about this year being different for the Raptors is the overall depth on their roster.
The Ringer's Jonathan Tjarks wrote an article in November with the headline "The Raptors May Have Perfected the Modern Art of Team Building."
"They have put together the most complete team in the NBA to support one of the league's most complete stars [Leonard]," Tjarks wrote.
That was before the Raptors added Marc Gasol at the trade deadline in February. Head coach Nick Nurse certainly used that depth to nearly escape with a win in Game 1, but there remains one problem that continues to rear its ugly head in the postseason.
Kyle Lowry was nothing as a scorer, quite literally. Augustin looked like the best point guard on the floor, especially when he went off the first half:
Lowry was able to contribute in other ways through the first two quarters:
The last two postseasons have gone a long way toward changing Lowry's postseason narrative. He shot 50.8 percent from the field in 10 playoff games last year, for example.
Despite that individual success, Lowry admitted to ESPN.com's Tim Bontemps earlier this month he will probably never change the discussion around his past playoff failures.
"The last couple years, I've played great in the playoffs. This is one thing about the NBA: You play to get to a certain point, and then once you lose, you're zero. You're back at the bottom. You have to play to get to that point again, but at the same time, it's like, 'Damn. When is it going to come? When is it going to happen?'"
Nurse altered the way Lowry is used in the offense during the regular season. He was more of a distributor, averaging a career-high 8.7 assists, but he also wasn't an efficient shooter. The 33-year-old had his worst shooting percentage (41.1) since 2012-13.
The presence of Leonard and rise of Siakam means Lowry doesn't have to carry as much of the burden as he did when it was him and DeMar DeRozan. But stars are supposed to be at their best in the biggest moments.
Lowry didn't rise to the challenge in Game 1, bringing back questions about his ability to succeed in the postseason. The Raptors need him to get back on track quickly, or else they are at serious risk of another disappointing playoff exit.
Swarming Defense Gives Magic Upset Potential
The Magic turned their season around by becoming one of the NBA's best defensive teams. A 30-game sample size can produce some deceiving results, which is what makes their Game 1 showing so important as the series continues.
Toronto was held to 45.5 percent shooting overall, including 12-of-36 from three-point range. The team had the sixth-best three-point percentage during the regular season (36.6 percent).
Magic head coach Steve Clifford has unlocked the potential in his team, even if Orlando's ceiling isn't as high as a lot of teams in the postseason, as noted by The Athletic's Blake Murphy:
"They defend hard and well, lean on their key pieces on offence and try hard enough to turn unspectacular overall numbers into a playoff berth. They do not have immense upside, as even with their best players they only won minutes by modest margins. The margin for error is pretty small with them. Still, their starting five have loads of experience together now and they have three reliable bench contributors, plus a fourth in Carter-Williams so long as he doesn't play against the opponent's best lineups."
If a team doesn't have superstar players to depend on, coaching can go a long way toward making a significant difference.
Clifford has emphasized ball movement and transition defense. The latter area went a long way toward giving Orlando a surprising early advantage in the series.
There is a level of confidence with the Magic after they turned their season around that gives them the ability to compete with anyone.
"We know we can play with anyone, really," Evan Fournier told The Athletic's Josh Robbins. "I mean we've had some really, really good wins this season. Now it's a matter of are we going to be consistent enough for 48 minutes in seven games to win? We know we can be good. Now we just have to show it."
Another reason for the Magic to be optimistic is they won by not playing their best game. Nikola Vucevic and Aaron Gordon combined to go 6-of-24 from the field.
Defense, though, will be the key for Orlando if it is going to pull off a first-round upset. It worked for one game, leaving the Raptors searching to find answers heading into Game 2.
What's Next?
The Raptors will host the Magic at Scotiabank Arena in Game 2 of their playoff series Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET.
