So far this season, the Raptors’ offense has overwhelmed the need for defense on most nights. Friday’s loss to Atlanta, though, was a bellwether moment — the team was slipping from a mediocre defense to a dirt poor one, relying on their offense to scrape by. It didn’t work against the Hawks, and that effort carried over into Sunday’s game.
Early on against the Orlando Magic, the Raptors were allowing a 27th ranked offense to dictate. Orlando had 30 points in the first frame, with old pal Bismack Biyombo scoring the first four and Evan Fournier dropping in nine to lead the team.