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The Toronto Raptors (58-24; 1-1) rebounded with an impressive Game 2 effort following a last-minute Game 1 loss to even their Eastern Conference First Round series with the Orlando Magic (42-40; 1-1). The series now shifts to Orlando for Game 3 at Amway Center on Friday night.
The game is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. ET and will be televised on ESPN, but if you don’t have cable, you can watch a live stream of ESPN on your computer, phone, or streaming device via one of the following live-TV streaming services:
PS Vue — which doesn’t require an actual PlayStation console to sign up or watch — offers four different live-TV channel packages: All four include ESPN.
You can start a free five-day trial of PS Vue right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the game on your computer via the PS Vue website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, PlayStation (3 or 4), or other supported device via the PS Vue app.
In addition to a Netflix-like on-demand streaming library, Hulu also offers a bundle of 60-plus live TV channels, including ESPN.
You can sign up for “Hulu with Live TV” right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the game on your computer via the Hulu website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Echo Show, or other streaming device via the Hulu app.
ESPN is included in the “Sling Orange” channel bundle.
You can start a free seven-day trial right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the game on your computer via the Sling TV website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, or other streaming device via the Sling TV app.
Raptors vs Magic Game 3 Preview
After narrowly falling in Game 1, the Raptors pushed the tempo from the get-go in a 111-82 victory in Game 2. Collectively, Toronto played better on offense, except this time it trickled on down from Kawhi Leonard, and the team’s second-best player, Kyle Lowry, who was rough on himself following Game 1.
Lowry didn’t look for his shot enough in Game 1, and admitted that after the loss. Lowry was overly aggressive in Game 2, and ended up finishing 8-of-13 shooting (four of five from the free-throw line) with 22 points and seven assists. Leonard once again led the way with a game-high 37 points, while Most improved Player candidate Pascal Siakam added 19 on 8-of-16 shooting.
Orlando presents an interesting issue for Toronto due to its size and overall skill-set. Magic head coach Steve Clifford was impressed with his team’s Game 1 performance, but shooting eluded them in Game 2, as they finished 37% from the field, and 26.5% on three-point attempts for the game.
Raptors head coach Nick Nurse knows the Magic will feed off their home crowd for Game 3. Nurse also knows Orlando’s interior edge will be utilized once more to try and re-establish a series lead, and told reporters that Wednesday.
“We’ve got two really good centers defensively, first of all. They are, at times, as good as it gets, so it’s nice to have two guys to be able to go at him throughout the course of the game. They played him physical. They limited his touches.”
One area where both teams can significantly improve is bench play. The Raptors and Magic barely received any notable contributions from their benches in Game 2. Orlando finished with 32 points, 15 coming from Terrence Ross, while the Raptors finished with 24 points, 13 coming from Serge Ibaka, who also added eight rebounds.
Toronto’s midseason acquisition of veteran Marc Gasol has also paid immense dividends on the defensive end. The Magic’s big men, including Jonathan Isaac and Nikola Vucevic have struggled during the first two games. Vucevic finished with just 11 points (eight rebounds) in Game 1, and was held to six in Game 2. The second-year Isaac has struggled just as much, with the same 11-figure in Game 1 and just five points in Game 2.