Orlando Magic: 3 takeaways from Game 1 vs. Raptors

TORONTO, ON - APRIL 13: Evan Fournier #10 and Aaron Gordon #00 celebrate with D.J. Augustin #14 of the Orlando Magic after Augustin hit the game winning shot during Game One of the first round of the NBA playoffs against the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena on April 13, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images) /

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(Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images) /

In their first postseason appearance since 2012, the Orlando Magic made a huge statement with an impressive victory in Game 1 of the 2019 playoffs.

The Orlando Magic entered the 2019 NBA playoffs just happy to be a part of the April festivities. They went 21-9 since Feb. 1, enough to propel them to the No. 7 spot in the Eastern Conference and a matchup with the two-seeded Toronto Raptors.

Without much postseason experience across the roster, Orlando was given little to no chance to win even a single game, and yet it is the Magic who sit here today up 1-0 in their first-round matchup with the Raptors after a thrilling 104-101 victory.

They built a lead as high as 16 towards the end of the second quarter with a 32-19 advantage in the frame before Toronto came right back, outscoring the Magic 27-18 in the third.

It was a last-second 3-pointer by D.J. Augustin that put Orlando up three before a Kawhi Leonard airball sealed the victory.

Much obviously still has to be done in order for the Magic to even think about the second round of the postseason. For a team with the longest playoff drop in the Eastern Conference, though, this was as much a moral win as it was a physical one that may have this series extending beyond what most had predicted.