TORONTO — The Raptors turned in another dominant defensive effort, extending their playoff winning streak to a team-record four and clinching a berth in the second round.
Kawhi Leonard scored 27 points, Pascal Siakam added 24 and the Raptors routed the Magic 115-96 on Tuesday night, winning their first-round playoff series in five games.
Kyle Lowry scored 14 points as the Raptors finished off the Magic with ease, bouncing back from a Game 1 defeat to win by double-digits in three of the next four. Toronto led by as many as 37 in the clincher, their biggest-ever margin in a playoff game.
“We kind of figured it out and made a good adjustment after Game 1,” Lowry said. “We were a little bit too soft in coverages and we figured it out really quickly, what we wanted to do, how we needed to help each other and how we needed to play. To figure it out that quick is a really good thing for us. We’ve just got to continue to build off it.”
Toronto will face the 76ers in the second after Philadelphia eliminated the Nets on Tuesday. It’s the fourth straight year in which the Raptors have reached the second round.
“Should be a great series, man,” Raptors coach Nick Nurse said of facing the Sixers. “Obviously, it’s a team with tremendous size, starting right off the bat with [Joel] Embiid inside. But they’re big all over.”
Leonard made 8 of 11 shots, including 5 of 5 from 3-point range, as the Raptors jumped on Orlando early and never trailed. Leonard also made all six of his free throws. He checked out to cheers of “MVP, MVP” with 8:05 to play and Toronto up 105-75.
D.J. Augustin scored 15 points, Terrence Ross had 12 and Aaron Gordon 11 for the Magic, who won 104-101 on Augustin’s late 3-pointer in Game 1 but never again topped 96 points, and twice finished with 85 or fewer.
“We were never able, after Game 1, to handle the ball against their defense the way we needed to,” Orlando coach Steve Clifford said. “To me, that was the biggest factor.”
Orlando made 32 of 83 shots Tuesday, including 9 of 34 from 3-point range.
“We’re obviously disappointed that we didn’t put up a better fight, especially tonight,” Magic center Nikola Vucevic said.
The Magic hadn’t reached the postseason since 2012. That year, Orlando won its opener on the road against Indiana, then lost four straight.
The Magic haven’t advanced past the opening round since 2010, when they lost to Boston in the Eastern Conference Finals.
“We weren’t afraid,” Clifford said, “we didn’t play well enough,.”