On Monday afternoon, the Orlando Magic upset the Toronto Raptors in Game 1 of their first round playoff match-up. Orlando's narrow 104-101 victory was largely driven by a 25-point performance from guard D. J. Augustin, but their ability to shut down Kyle Lowry entirely might have been just as crucial.
Lowry was held scoreless in his 34 minutes on the court. While he did contribute with seven rebounds and eight assists, the Raptors expected more from their veteran point guard. After the loss, Lowry explained his horrible night to reporters.
Kyle Lowry: "I got some looks and missed them. That's about it. Nothing new to me. I just missed some shots that were open. I did well on the floor general side but I've gotta make some shots."
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) April 14, 2019
Lowry: "I shot some shots, I got to the basket and I created. Maybe (I could have been) a little more aggressive. This year has been a different year with our team and sometimes I haven't been aggressive enough. But there's a Game 2 coming up."
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) April 14, 2019
Everyone has an off night; it happens. But a scoreless playoff performance from a player of Lowry's caliber is almost unprecedented. Lowry made his fifth consecutive All-Star appearance and is one of the league's top point guards. He averaged 14.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 8.7 assists in the regular season while shooting 41.1 percent.
According to Spotrac, the 33-year-old is under contract through the 2019-20 season and will hit the open market the following offseason. While he is certain to get paid regardless, another strong postseason would help maximize his earnings. But clearly, Kyle Lowry isn't off to a great start. He has a strong track record in the playoffs and will look to return to form in Game 2.
The Raptors went 58-24 in the regular season and were heavily favored over the Magic (42-40) in their first round match-up. Nonetheless, Orlando is off to a strong start with an upset road victory.
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