It was defence that the Raptors thrived on, with long arms and active hands and great anticipation fuelling transition baskets.
And with the NBA playoffs about two weeks away, playing that way right now is part of coach Nick Nurse’s master plan.
The Raptors converted 14 first-half turnovers into 26 points to take control, overcame a predictable lull with a big lead to start the fourth quarter, then rolled over the Orlando Magic 102-89 on Friday night in their penultimate road game of the season.
The victory, their 11th in the last 13 games and sixth in seven on the road, moved the Raptors back into a tie for fifth place in the East with Chicago, both just a game and a half behind fourth-place Philadelphia.