Forty-eight hours after the Orlando Magic made just 10 of 35 shots from beyond the arc in a 30-point loss at Scotiabank Arena, Desmond Bane returned to the same floor and drained his first four tries.
Bane poured in 28, his best total this season, and Orlando won 121-114 in the NBA Cup opener for both clubs Friday night. He finished 6 for 12 from deep, 6 for 6 at the free-throw line and added six assists in nearly 39 minutes.
A fast start, and a flare-up
Bane set the tone early. He hit three 3-pointers in the first five minutes, the last of them giving Orlando a 14-6 lead, and moments later he and Toronto's RJ Barrett were each hit with a technical after a brief scuffle near midcourt. He closed the quarter with a 31-foot pull-up for 12 points as the Magic led 31-27, according to the league's play-by-play.
Orlando shot 18 of 34 from 3-point range as a team, a sharp turnaround from Wednesday, and went 25 of 29 at the line while Toronto attempted only 15 free throws.
Holding off Barnes
Toronto never went away, mostly because Scottie Barnes would not let it. The forward scored a career-high 41 points on 19-of-34 shooting before fouling out, and the Raptors, again missing Kawhi Leonard, who is out with a swollen left knee, erased a seven-point deficit from the end of the third.
Immanuel Quickley's 3 with 8:38 left put Toronto in front 102-100, the Raptors' first lead since the first quarter.
