Lowry leads Raptors to OT win over Magic

The Toronto Raptors snatched a 106-103 overtime win against the Orlando Magic at the O2 Arena on a night when the National Basketball Association commissioner Adam Silver hinted a future All-Star Game could be played in Europe.

“We have struggled some recently”, Skiles said before tipoff.

The team has been sightseeing, going to league-mandated events, practising and experiencing London, many for the first time. Powered by star guards DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry, they sit atop the Atlantic Division with a 24-15 record, having won seven of their last 10 games. Both the Toronto Raptors and Orlando Magic have been featured in games played in London in the past.

For them, one of the additional benefits was being joined by a handful of former National Basketball Association players, including Hakeem Olajuwon, Horace Grant, Muggsy Bogues and Rick Fox. Other Raptors who had good games were Jonas Valanciunas (17 points), Terrence Ross (16 points) and Patrick Patterson (11 points).

He saw his team overcome an early deficit but they allowed Orlando to rally three times, and it was the Magic who had opportunities to snatch victory in the final seconds of regulation.

When asked about leading the vote, Irving has been diplomatic: “If I’m voted in, I’ll take that, put my hard hat on and go in there and be with the best, because personally, in the back of my mind, I feel like I am one of the best in the league”.

Thursday’s game against the Raptors was a microcosm of the season.

More brilliance from Fournier was cancelled out as Lowry and Joseph continued to combine for the Raptors as the game reached a stunning climax.

Victor Oladipo has scored 37 points in his last two meetings against Toronto, while Tobias Harris pitched in 20 in their last meeting.

Even though he is averaging 22.9 points a game for the Toronto Raptors this year, there are still a good amount of people that do not view the Compton native as a true franchise player.

After trailing by as many as 14 points in the second half, Magic’s guard Oladipo sent a noisy sellout crowd of 18 689 at London’s O2 Arena into a frenzy with a game-tying shot from Oladipo with 32.9 seconds to play in regulation.

“It was was a big play by a big player”, Joseph said of Lowry’s timely steal. The game was also a chance for the Magic to right the ship as they look to get back to their winning ways. Oladipo, who at one point in the season was held to 8.5 points over an 11-game stretch, has been lights-out from the field of late.

“We have to wake up and make a stand”, centre Nikola Vucevic said on the team’s website.

They weren’t the only celebs at the game, as celebrity chef Gordon Ramsey and “Creed” star Michael B. Jordan were also in attendance. “Whenever our backs are up against the wall that’s when we play our best”.