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Desmond Bane went off, Magic crushed Raptors on three-pointers and that was the difference.
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Published Jan 30, 2026 • 5 minute read
Orlando Magic guard Desmond Bane drives
Orlando Magic guard Desmond Bane (centre) drives against Toronto Raptors forward Brandon Ingram (left) and forward RJ Barrett during the first half of an NBA game on Jan. 30, 2026, in Orlando, Fla. Photo by John Raoux /The Associated Press
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The Toronto Raptors needed their best players to come through to shake off an ugly loss, and Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram obliged.
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Barnes was easily the best player on the floor through three quarters, dominating defensively while doing a little bit of everything at the other end, while Ingram smoothly piled up bucket after bucket on the host Orlando Magic Friday, but it wasn’t enough.
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That’s because Desmond Bane went off in the fourth quarter, and a Magic team that usually struggles with its shot was on fire all night on the way to a 130-120 win.
The Raptors came in an Eastern Conference-best 16-9 on the road this season, but had looked poor at home against New York on Wednesday, disappearing for the latter half of the game, unable to match New York’s physicality.
This time, it was more ugly three-point shooting colliding with a Magic team that refused to miss much in erasing a 13-point Toronto lead after three quarters.
Toronto had made a season-low 30 field goals Wednesday. That one was also their third-lowest scoring game and second-highest turnover outing of the year. In other words, one to forget.
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They already had 33 field goals with plenty of time remaining in the third and were shooting close to 60% before Orlando finally started playing some defence, but with almost all of the makes coming inside, the math game caught up to the visitors, with the Magic hitting 10 more three-pointers than Toronto (17 on 50% shooting to seven on 25% shooting for the Raptors).
More takeaways from a game the Raptors should have won:
KILLER B’S COME THROUGH
Ingram had his second-best scoring night as a Raptor (35 points after starting 10-for-15 from the field), but like his teammates, was not as effective in the fourth quarter when the game turned.
And while Barnes had completely outclassed the Magic through three quarters, blocking four shots, rebounding well and finding open teammates, he couldn’t stop the Magic rampage in the fourth.
That quarter belonged to Bane, who shot 6-for-6, four of them three-pointers, to send Orlando to its second win in a row following four straight losses.
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Bane matched Ingram’s 32 points in all.
MAGIC FINDS THE MARK
Orlando has been one of the most disappointing teams in the conference so far after giving up four first-round picks for Bane in the off-season. Bane was seen as the missing piece for a franchise that has been one of the worst at shooting the basketball for years. But Orlando entered Friday 27th in three-point accuracy, just a minor step up from 30th a year ago.
As mentioned, the team was uncharacteristically dangerous from outside in this one though, shooting far better than normal, including a 3-for-3 three-point shooting run to begin the third quarter to erase a 10-point Raptors lead. Had Toronto been able to hit anything from three, the lead would not have vanished.
Bane had been on early, scoring 11 points in his first 11 minutes, but vanished until hitting consecutive threes in the final seconds of the third quarter and at the start of the fourth.
Injuries have played a role in the Magic barely hanging on to a playoff spot, with top players Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner only available in the same game for 16 of 46 games. Wagner was sidelined Friday, but Banchero had been on a tear lately, averaging 29.5 points over his last four games before Friday. Banchero was off in the first half, but scored 14 in the final two quarters.
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A LINEUP THAT WORKS?
Toronto’s starting five featuring Collin Murray-Boyles filling in at centre for the injured Jakob Poeltl has been a winning formula so far. Friday was the eighth time it has been utilized by Darko Rajakovic, trailing only the Poeltl combination with Barnes, Ingram, Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett, which is Toronto’s most-used at 12 games. Entering play Friday, the Murray-Boyles five-some had gone 5-2 when starting for the Raptors. The odd thing about that was the group had a negative net rating (points allowed per 100 possessions minus points allowed), though it had been pretty air-tight defensively.
The main issue has been a lack of an offensive fit, likely because Murray-Boyles and Barnes aren’t effective outside shooters, so opponents don’t really guard them closely out there, and because Ingram is a reluctant three-point shooter, preferring to operate in the mid-range. While all five players are good passers, they are limited in how they can generate points.
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That said, Poeltl is even less of a three-point threat than Murray-Boyles (at least the rookie will launch, and sometimes make some, while Poeltl doesn’t even attempt them), but when he starts with the other four they generate 121.5 points per 100 possessions vs. 104.8 for the Murray-Boyles group (not including Friday’s numbers).
The group tied Orlando 15-15 in their first stint together Friday. Later, Murray-Boyles was too hesitant, passing up two scoring chances inside, resulting in travels. He looked rusty at other points, having recently returned from injury.
Toronto’s most effective five-man group this season has actually seen Sandro Mamukelashvili playing alongside Barnes, Ingram, Quickley and Ochai Agbaji. Even though Agbaji is having a career-worst shooting season, he hit 40% of his three-pointers last year and the group surrounds Barnes with four theoretical shooters.
AROUND THE RIM
With Barrett still on a minutes restriction, Ja’Kobe Walter has benefited from more playing time. He has been delivering defensively, getting tough assignments (like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in a recent game against the defending champions), but also contributed on offence with three layups and a three-pointer … This was the second of three games between the teams this season. Toronto had taken the first by a point in a thriller when a Banchero attempt at the buzzer did not fall. He had a triple-double in the game. They will meet again in Toronto on March 29 … The Raptors now return home to begin a five-game stretch in Toronto before the all-star break. The NBA’s trade deadline will also arrive in that span, on Thursday.
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