Toronto Raptors-Orlando Magic: NBA game preview

AMWAY CENTER Tipoff: 7 p.m. TV: Sporstnet One Radio: TSN Radio 1050 Probable starters Toronto: Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan, DeMarre Carroll, Luis Scola, Jonas Valanciunas.

Orlando: Elfrid Payton, Victor Oladipo, Tobias Harris, Evan Fournier, Dewayne Dedmon.

Key matchup: Evan Fournier vs. Kyle Lowry/Cory Joseph. Fournier has been on an absolute tear to start this season. The fourth-year guard is averaging 20.6 points per game and that’s bolstered by showings of 30 on Tuesday against New Orleans and 29 against Houston on Wednesday. Lowry will get the bulk of minutes at point guard, but Raps coach Dwane Casey has liked what he’s gotten out of pairing Lowry with backup Joseph. For his part, Joseph was key in forcing Russell Westbrook into a 1-8 fourth quarter in the win at OKC.

Need to know: The Raptors are off to their best start to a season but still have a ways to go to equal their biggest winning streak. They ran off nine straight in 2001-02 . . . Nikola Vucev- ic won’t play on Friday night. The team’s centre is out with a bone bruise on his right knee. Dewane Dedmon is expected to start in his place . . . Orlando is 1-4 but has fallen in a pair of very tight games this season. The Magic went to double OT with Oklahoma City on Oct. 30 and took the Rockets to overtime on Wednesday. They are losing their games by an average of 3.5 points . . . Mississauga’s Andrew Nicholson, in his fourth year with the Magic, has seen action in one game this season.

Up next: Sunday at Miami, 6 p.m. Doug Smith