Raptors edge Magic after Orlando says Suggs faces surgery

Raptors hold off Magic after Orlando announces Suggs to undergo knee surgery

BY Associated Press Orlando

UPDATED 7:36 AM ET Mar. 03, 2025 PUBLISHED 9:46 PM ET Mar. 02, 2025 PUBLISHED 9:46 PM EST Mar. 02, 2025

ORLANDO — Immanuel Quickley scored 17 of his 24 points in the second half, and the Toronto Raptors held on to beat the Orlando Magic 104-102 on Sunday night.

Franz Wagner missed a driving layup for Orlando in the final second, enabling the Raptors to win after going without a score in the final 2 minutes, 52 seconds. A backcourt turnover had given the ball back to the Magic with 4.7 seconds left.

Before the game, the Magic announced that starting guard Jalen Suggs will have arthroscopic surgery to remove a cartilage fragment in his left knee. The Magic said that a timetable for Suggs’ return to play won’t be known until the team sees how he responds to post-operative treatment and rehabilitation.

Suggs was diagnosed last week with a trochlea injury in the knee, a problem that was discovered after he was experiencing discomfort while trying to return from a bruised left quadriceps.

Suggs and fellow Orlando cornerstones Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner have started only six games together this season because of significant injuries to all of them.

In Sunday's game, RJ Barrett added 22 points for Toronto, and Jakob Poeltl had 16 points and 11 rebounds.

Wagner led Orlando with 25 points, Banchero added 23, three on a 3-point play that trimmed the Raptors’ lead to 104-100.

Raptors guard Gradey Dick left after being struck in the face by the back of Cole Anthony’s head during a fall late in the first half.

Takeaways

Raptors: Quickley, who also had four assists, came up one point short of his season high. With his burst at the end of the third quarter, he helped the Raptors avoid a fourth consecutive loss.

Magic: After acknowledging that Jalen Suggs will need knee surgery, the Magic lost for the fourth time in five games, all at home. Suggs has missed 25 of the last 26 games. The Magic are 7-18 in those 25 games.

Key moment

Quickley hit a 3-pointer, completed a three-point play, assisted on a layup by Jonathan Mogbo and had another three-point play in the final 74 seconds of the third quarter, completing a 12-1 run that gave the Raptors an 81-72 lead.