The Toronto Raptors beat the Orlando Magic 121-108 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Canada, on Saturday, avoiding a third straight loss.

Though the final score difference was only 13 points, the Raptors led by as many as 33 points (89-56) in the third quarter. Everything came so easy for the home team. They shot 47-for-84 in field goals (FGs), including 35-for-50 in the paint. Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby and Scottie Barnes all went at over 60 percent of field goal rate to get a combined 75 points, 24 rebounds and 18 assists.

Whenever they wanted, Anunoby and Siakam could enter the Magic's paint with great ease and comfort and then either scored an easy shot or earned free throws. Barnes joined them as well and made all of his eight attempts in the restricted area. The 17 points and 14 rebounds he had might have been one of the easiest double-doubles he has ever had since he joined the NBA last year.

Both teams traveled to Toronto to play back-to-back on Saturday – the Raptors from Brooklyn and the Magic from Cleveland. However, compared with the Raptors who were energetic enough to switch to full power to win from the beginning, the Magic seemed so indifferent to the fact that they were about to suffer the 19th loss out of 24 games.

Most of the Magic's players were listless on the defensive end. They didn't close out to deflect the opponents' 3-point shooting. Nor did they seem to care about help defense or boxing out to rebound. On offense, the team lacked even fundamental orchestrating. Everyone, from Paolo Banchero to Franz and Moritz Wagner brothers to the 2.18-meter-tall Bol Bol, was so obsessed with dribbling to drive in and then likely turning the ball over.

It may be an exaggeration to say that the Magic had the chance to come back, but at least it was once hopeful for them to make the game look less bad. Terrence Ross shot 7-for-7 in FGs, including making all four 3-pointers of his, to get 18 points off the bench. Nonetheless, he played less than 25 minutes on Saturday night. Even when he was on the floor with an open look, his teammates were unlikely to see that, let alone pass to him.

The Magic are at the bottom of the league after suffering their eighth consecutive loss. They won fewer and lost more games than the tanking teams of Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs and Detroit Pistons. However, when the other three teams were playing, their players were working hard to win. That spirit was gone from the Magic's players.

Losing is an integral part to most NBA teams going through a rebuild. It helps a franchise get higher draft picks and young players get used to the league while building confidence. The Magic's two-season playoff drought is not very long. Winning only 22 and 21 games in the previous two seasons was not pretty, but not as bad as desperate either.

However, judging by the Magic's players' performances on Saturday night, they seemed somehow used to losing without even resistance. They ceased to play like a team: there was no collaboration on either end of the game, everybody was working on their own and making bad calls on most occasions.

Such an unhealthy tendency is contagious and young players, no matter how talented they are, are vulnerable to it. The Magic have drafted Banchero (first-overall selection in 2022), Franz Wagner (eighth-overall selection in 2021) and Jalen Suggs (fifth-overall selection in 2021) for a rebuild. They need to watch out for the environment in which these young men are growing.

Other games on Saturday (away teams come first):

Dallas Mavericks 121-100 New York Knicks

Fans of the Knicks were able to witness "Luka Magic" at Madison Square Garden in New York City but probably in an unpleasant way. The home team built a 12-point lead with boiling touch in the first quarter and stood up to the Mavericks' counterstrike in the second period. As Julius Randle shot 7-for-12 from the field to get 20 points in the first half, the Knicks were positive to win at home.

Nonetheless, in the third quarter, Luka Doncic went 8-for-10 in FGs to drop 19 points, five rebounds and four assists, leading the Mavericks to drive a 41-15 run in this period alone. He didn't play in the fourth quarter because the team's lead was big enough and his teammates didn't let him down this time.

Oklahoma City Thunder 135-128 Minnesota Timberwolves

Karl-Anthony Towns will be sidelined for four to six weeks for the Timberwolves due to a right calf sprain. Rudy Gobert was ejected with a flagrant 2 foul early in the second quarter on Saturday night. Therefore, home fans at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, pinned their hope on Anthony Edwards to save the Timberwolves.

Unfortunately, Edwards let them down. It took him 22 FG attempts to get 26 points. He only delivered four assists but with five turnovers. The biggest highlight was the six steals he had, which contributed to the Timberwolves 26 points via fast break.

By contrast, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA) showed Edwards how a mature guard should play to help his team win. Having gone 10-for-17 from the field, SGA earned 12 free throws (doubling Edwards' number on this front) and made all of them. He and Josh Giddey shared the duties well to run the Thunder's offense. They didn't panic after the Timberwolves scored 44 points in the third quarter. Instead, the Thunder responded 38 points in the final period to secure a comeback win.

Houston Rockets 101-120 Golden State Warriors

Klay Thompson sat out the home game at Chase Center in San Francisco, California. The Warriors put Jordan Poole in his starting position and Poole did well by making five triples to get 21 points and five assists.

However, the best-performing Warrior on Saturday night was Andrew Wiggins, who shot 8-for-10 from downtown to score 36 points for the team. He even outshined Stephen Curry, who also made eight triples to get 30 points and 10 assists. When the Rockets began to launch counterattacks in the third quarter, Wiggins neutralized their efforts by making five 3-pointers from the left.

Sacramento Kings 123-96 Los Angeles Clippers

Milwaukee Bucks 105-96 Charlotte Hornets

Portland Trail Blazers 116-111 Utah Jazz