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The Raptors are moving on.
After an upsetting start to the series, Toronto showed what they were made of and closed out the Orlando Magic in blowout fashion by winning Game 5 at home 115-96. The win marks the first time in franchise history that the Raptors have won four straight playoff games.
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The two-headed force of Kawhi Leonard and Pascal Siakam were at it once again, combining for 51 points in the blowout.
Leonard, who was a monster all series long, continued to make big highlight reel plays.
The KLaw in full effect pic.twitter.com/iPvKpsQTp7
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) April 24, 2019
“We’re trying to get to the finals and we feel like we’ve got a group to do it,” Leonard said following his team’s performance.
Siakam wasn’t to be outdone, dazzling the crowd with his on-court vision.
OOOOUUUUUUUU đź‘€ pic.twitter.com/O7zqD63duU
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) April 23, 2019
Kyle Lowry also had an impressive night with 14 points and nine assists, but it was his defensive play, particularly the offensive fouls he drew, that stood out.
In case you missed our earlier tweet.
KLow has drawn more offensive fouls in this year’s playoffs than 8 of the 16 participating teams. pic.twitter.com/PYZfUfDMGL
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) April 24, 2019
He took a total of four charges in the game to lead the team.
As good as Toronto’s stars were, it was Norman Powell who had the highlight of the night.
MORE DUNKS FOR YOUR HEADTOP pic.twitter.com/5rWF7eLCVP
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) April 23, 2019
In the second quarter, Powell drove to the hoop for a thunderous dunk overtop of Aaron Gordon. Powell finished the game with 11 points off the bench.
As good as Toronto looked on the offensive end, the story continued to be about their defence.
As the old clichĂ© goes, defence wins championships and the Raptors’ defence was in top form the entire series. Outside of the Game 1 upset, the Raptors didn’t allow Orlando to break 100 points – a big factor stemming from the play of Marc Gasol.
GIMMIE THAT pic.twitter.com/krgImpBcYx
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) April 24, 2019
Gasol managed to block shots, get steals, and most importantly, make Orlando All-Star Nikola Vucevic a non-factor – Vucevic averaged a measly 11.2 points per game.
It was one of the most dominant performances in a postseason series in franchise history.
The Raps managed to close out a series in less than six games for the first time ever. Their point differential in Game 5 also hit a historic mark when they extended their lead beyond 30 points.
#WeTheNorth 30-point lead is the largest at any point of a playoff game in franchise history
— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) April 24, 2019
The Raptors move on to the second round, likely against the Philadelphia 76ers – who will pose a more difficult challenge.
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