NBA Game Summary - Toronto at Orlando

12.2.2004

Orlando, FL (Basketball News) - Steve Francis scored 23 points and handed out nine assists to lead the Orlando Magic to a 129-108 victory over the Toronto Raptors at the TD Waterhouse Centre.

Grant Hill netted 17 points and Cuttino Mobley added 16 for Orlando, which has won five of its last seven games. Mobley returned to the lineup after missing nine games with a groin injury.

"We came out with more intensity tonight," said Hill. "We were serious in here before the game."

Dwight Howard contributed 15 points and a season-high 20 rebounds for the Magic. Hedo Turkoglu and DeShawn Stevenson each collected 13 points and Kelvin Cato finished with 12 points and 14 boards in the win.

"We made shots," said Cato. "That’s all that matters."

Vince Carter led Toronto with 21 points. Rafer Alston had 16 points and Jalen Rose chipped in 15 for the Raptors, who have dropped nine of their last 12 contests.

The Magic opened the second quarter with a 12-1 spurt, keyed by six points from Mobley, to grab a 46-35 advantage. Orlando maintained a comfortable margin through the remainder of the period and eventually carried a 68-60 lead into the locker room.

Francis ended the first half with 14 points, while Carter also tallied 14 to pace the Raptors in the opening 24 minutes.

The Magic then put the game away in the third quarter, outscoring Toronto 34-15 to grab a commanding 102-75 lead. Francis scored five points during a 14-2 burst to begin the period, giving Orlando an 82-62 advantage.

Mobley later drained back-to-back three-pointers to extend the margin to 27 at 94-67 with 4:39 left in the stanza.

The Magic would lead by as many as 38 points in the fourth quarter, as Stevenson’s jumper with 5:34 remaining made it 123-85.

Orlando started strong, scoring 13 of the first 17 points of the game. The Magic were later in front 15-7, before Toronto went on a 13-2 run, ignited by back-to-back three-pointers from Alston, to take a 20-17 advantage.

The rest of the first quarter was tight and ended with the teams tied at 34-34.

The Magic placed forward Pat Garrity on the injured list Wednesday because of a sprained left foot and activated forward Stacey Augmon, who had been sidelined due to patella tendinitis in his left knee...Morris Peterson scored 13 points for Toronto...Orlando has won 10 of the last 16 meetings between the two teams...The Raptors have made a three-pointer in 467 straight games, currently the best streak in the league.

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