TORONTO - DeMar DeRozan scored 36 points to lead the Toronto Raptors in a 131-112 rout of the Orlando Magic on Monday night.
Cory Joseph had a double-double with 15 points and a career-high 13 assists as Toronto (45-29) won its sixth straight.
Norman Powell's shooting was lethal for the Raptors, getting 16 points including four three-pointers. Jonas Valanciunas pulled down nine rebounds to go with 17 points and Serge Ibaka scored 16 points and grabbed seven rebounds in his first game against his former team.
DeRozan was named the Eastern Conference player of the week earlier Monday after averaging 33.3 points, .488 field goal percentage and 5.7 assists over the past three games, all wins for Toronto.
It was a rude homecoming for guard Terrence Ross, who had 17 points for Orlando (27-47). Elfrid Payton led the Magic with 22 points and nine assists.
Ross was drafted by the Raptors eighth overall in 2012 and tied Vince Carter's franchise record for scoring in a game with 51 points against the Los Angeles Clippers on Jan. 25, 2014. He was traded to the Magic on Feb. 14 with a 2017 first-round pick in exchange for Ibaka.
During team introductions Ross got a round of cheers from the sell-out crowd of 19,800 at Air Canada Centre. The applause slowly turned to boos, however, as Ross led the Magic to an early 7-0 lead with a three-pointer and a field goal.
Ross also received a standing ovation after a video package of his time in Toronto was played during the first TV timeout. The tribute included some of his biggest slam dunks, including his performance that won the NBA's Slam Dunk Competition in 2012.
DeRozan tied it 22-22 with a driving lay-up with 4:24 left in the quarter, forcing Orlando to call a timeout. A banked DeRozan jumper and a made free throw gave Toronto a 35-34 lead at the end of the first.
Powell's shooting and a solid defensive effort led by Valanciunas and P.J. Tucker helped Toronto pull away by as much as 18 points in the second quarter with a 73-57 lead by halftime. Powell was 4 for 6 on field goals, including 3 for 3 from beyond the arc, in the second. He scored 13 points in the quarter alone. The Raptors shot 61.9 per cent from field-goal range and made all four three-point attempts in the second quarter.
It was Toronto's best first half of the season. The Raptors surpassed the 70 points they had in the first two quarters of their 118-106 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Feb. 6.
DeRozan and his teammates poured it on in the third, leading by as many as 19 in the quarter. Ross drew ooos and ahhhs from the crowd with a windmill dunk with 7:32 left in the quarter. He made fans gasp with a 360 jam to cut Toronto's lead to eight with five and a half minutes later.
Delon Wright intercepted Orlando's inbound attempt and scored a three-pointer to give Toronto a 99-89 lead after three quarters.
Although the Magic showed a little bit more life in the fourth quarter they could not keep up with DeRozan's hot hand or Toronto's stiff defence. Ross got his last round of applause on the night when he subbed out with 1:45 left in the game.
Notes: Raptors forward DeMarre Carroll missed his second consecutive game with a sore back. He suffered the injury after a bad fall he took in Thursday's 101-84 win in Miami. ... Toronto head coach Dwane Casey said Monday morning that all-star point guard Kyle Lowry continues to progress from wrist surgery four weeks ago but had no timeline for his return to the Raptors lineup.
