Raptors Remain Undefeated in the New Year - 108-102 Toronto

The Raptors couldn't silence Superman today, who put up 39 and 8, but in the end the Raps came out with a victory to stay undefeated in 2009. The injury-riddled Raptors (missing Jermaine O'Neal and Jose Calderon) played great team defense and kept the offense flowing for all four quarters, controlling the pace and the flow of the game as they tied up the season series 1-1.

NBA.com Recap

Player of the Game:
Anthony Parker - 26 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists. A red hot 13-16 from the floor, Anthony hit some key shots late in the clock and late in the game. Another typical do-it-all game, doing the intangibles and the little things that he's been known to do. Tonight Parker was just 1 point off of his career high, who would have thought this on a night where he didn't even attempt a three ball?

Notables:
Chris Bosh - 23 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists. Perhaps most importantly, Chris went 13-14 from the free throw line. Some of these free throws came late in the fourth when the Raptors needed a cushion.
Andrea Bargnani - 18 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists. Redefining streaky, it appears that Andrea is out of his cold streak.
Roko Ukic - 12 points, 7 assists, 2 rebounds. Roko for sure opened some eyes today, as he played the entire fourth quarter and set up some key buckets.

Full Box Score

Stat of the Game:
Late in the fourth quarter, it came down to who could make their foul shots. Both teams shot 24 foul shots tonight; the Raptors hit 23 of their 24, the Magic hit just 17. They can thank Dwight Howard for those misses as he shot 11-18 and missed many free throws when the Magic were trying to mount their comeback. After the game, Magic coach Stan Van Gundy commented on this, saying “That’s about what he shoots, but it’s not good enough. Sixty percent at the free throw line makes it tough. We’ve got a tremendous advantage down there. They couldn’t guard him at all, but they get to the fourth quarter and they just foul and it’s one for two every time. Then you’re coming to the other end and it’s two for two. That’s a big difference.” Howard must be used to this by now, as his only reaction was “I’m going to miss free throws". Maybe its time to hit the gym, Dwight.