Magic travel to Raptors for key matchup: ‘It’s a monumental game’

When the Magic head to Toronto on Sunday, Orlando understands there’s a lot at stake. Not only will each and every of the final nine games of the regular season affect the race for the NBA playoffs , but Sunday’s matchup will also determine the winner of the three-game season series between the Eastern Conference foes. That’s because the Raptors won the first meeting of the season at Scotiabank Arena on Dec.

29 by overcoming a 21-point deficit and the Magic punched back with a 10-point win roughly a month later at Kia Center . If Orlando and Toronto end the regular season with the same record — the No. 9 Magic (39-34) entered Saturday’s slate of games only two games back of the No.

5 Raptors (41-32) — the winner of Sunday’s game will own the head-to-head tiebreaker in the standings. It’s the type of advantage that could potentially serve as the difference maker between securing a guaranteed playoff spot as a top-six seed in the East or falling down into the Play-In Tournament. Seeds 7-10 in each conference compete in the Play-In for the Nos.

7 and 8 seeds in the playoffs. Bottom line, Sunday matters. A lot.