The Toronto Raptors responded from their Game 1 slip-up in the best way possible.
They annihilated the Orlando Magic 111-82 behind fantastic performances from their two All-Stars, Kawhi Leonard and Kyle Lowry.
Lowry bounced back strong in Game 2, finishing with 22 points and seven assists on 8-for-13 shooting from the field. Leonard showcased just how dominant he can be, scoring a game-high 37 points on 15-for-22 shooting from the field while burying four of his eight 3-point attempts.
For more from the Raptors' blow out win, we have you covered with takeaways below...
Playoff Kawhi
Playoff Kawhi is real, and he's just getting started.
After an impressive 25-point performance (on 10-for-18 shooting) in Game 1, Leonard came out with what Greg Anthony called 'a laser-like focus' to dominate for each of the 33 minutes he appeared in Game 2.
The domination was from the get-go as Toronto's All-Star forward scored or assisted on 17 of the team's first 26 points. He would go on to finish the first half with 17 points (on 7-for-9 shooting) to go along with three rebounds and three assists despite being in foul trouble for the entire half.
Things blew open in the third quarter, where he dominated with 17 more points, scoring in a number of ways to help the Raptors get out to a 24-point lead to go into the final frame.
Leonard finished the night with 37 points (on 15-for-22 shooting), four rebounds, four assists and two steals – his 15 made field goals are a new postseason career-high. If this performance is a sign of things to come, the Raptors have plenty to be optimistic about.
Lowry is back
Following his Game 1 performance, Kyle Lowry was under severe scrutiny from basketball minds everywhere. His zero-point outing in the Raptors' home loss was the bud of many jokes and the pressure was on to step up in Game 2.
Lowry wasted no time to make an impact in this one – the All-Star point guard looked back to his old self right out of the gate.
He had 15 points on 5-for-8 shooting from the field and 2-for-4 shooting from the perimeter, eclipsing the number of shot attempts he took in Game 1's entirety. His passing – which was never an issue in the first game of the series as he finished with eight assists – remained a strength as he dished out four assists in the first two quarters.
The Raptors were playing off of Lowry's energy and the Scotiabank Arena crowd didn't hesitate to let their captain know he had their support, roaring on each and every bucket he scored.
Lowry finished with 22 points (8-13 FG, 2-4 3PT) seven assists, four rebounds, two steals and a block while going plus-30 in the box score, bouncing back strong to help lead his team to victory.
Raptors' third quarter
Toronto's quality first half built them a modest 12-point advantage with momentum on their side.
Coming out of the half, the Raptors had intentions of putting this game away as fast as possible to send the series to Orlando tied and they did just that.
Toronto scored 39 points in the frame, tied for the second-most points the franchise has scored in a single quarter of a playoff game.
Led by Kawhi's 17 points in the quarter, the Magic's offence could not keep up with the Raptors. Leonard went 7-for-9 from the field, burying both of his 3-point attempts, including a heat check with Aaron Gordon's hand right in his face to prove just how hot he was.
Marc Gasol's nine points and three assists, Pascal Siakam's seven points and Lowry's four points and three assists covered the majority of the scoring aside from Leonard's efforts.
The Raptors 12-point halftime lead doubled to 24 heading into the fourth quarter, essentially icing the game for the home team.
Where is Vucevic?
Nikola Vucevic, the Magic's lone All-Star, continues to struggle in the series.
In the 2018-19 regular season, the 7-footer was a walking double-double, averaging 20.8 points to go along with 12.0 rebounds in the 80 games in which he appeared. In the Magic's Game 2 loss, Vucevic finished with just six points (on 3-for-7 shooting), six rebounds and three assists in 25 minutes of action.
To make matters worse, the centre turned the ball over four times.
After scoring just 11 points (on 3-for-14 shooting) in Game 1, Vucevic was expected to bounce back in a major way, stepping up for a Magic team that managed to escape with a win despite his performance. Game 2 was more of the same, a credit to the physicality and defence of Marc Gasol, who has looked to make things difficult for the Magic's big man.
As the series shifts to Orlando, the Magic will continue to lean on their All-Star performer.
Game 1 looks to have been an anomaly, as Orlando is a much better team when its big man gets going.
Orlando's offensive struggles
The Magic needed garbage time scoring to break 80, failing to keep up with the Raptors' high-flying offence in Game 2.
82 points is the third-lowest scoring total for the Magic this season, while that's the least amount of points Toronto has given up this season.
Terrence Ross was doing his best as an offensive catalyst with 15 points in the first half, but Ross failed to score in the second half and no one picked up his slack.
As we mentioned above, Vucevic was nowhere to be found. Game 1 hero DJ Augustin finished with nine points going 1-for-7 from the field and Jonathan Isaac scored five points going 1-for-8 from the field.
Aaron Gordon's 20 points were the sole bright spot for the Magic, as Evan Fournier's 10 points came on an ugly 4-for-12 shooting night where he went 2-for-7 from long range.
The Raptors hit their stride offensively in this one and Orlando will need to make a number of adjustments on the offensive end before Game 3 or they will be in danger of another outcome like this one.