Da Silva scores career-high 25 points, Magic overcome loss of Suggs to beat Raptors 106-97

TORONTO (AP) — Tristan da Silva scored a career-high 25 points and the Orlando Magic overcame the loss of guard Jalen Suggs to back spasms to beat the struggling Toronto Raptors 106-97 on Friday night.

Goga Bitadze had 11 points and 13 rebounds and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 15 points to help the Magic win for the fourth time in 10. Orlando's Cole Anthony matched a career high with 11 assists.

Orlando came in as the NBA’s worst shooting team from 3-point range, but made 9 of 14 from distance in the first quarter, tying the franchise record for 3s in a quarter.

Suggs was playing defense late in the second when he stumbled without any contact and fell over clutching at his lower back. He stayed down for several minutes before being helped into a wheelchair. The fourth-year guard covered his face with a towel as he was wheeled off.

Jakob Poeltl scored 25 points for the Raptors. Scottie Barnes added 20, and Immanuel Quickley had 11 points and 11 assists.

Magic: Orlando made nine 3-pointers in the third quarter against San Antonio on Feb. 8, 2024. They also had nine in the third against the Lakers on Jan. 31, 2018.

Raptors: Toronto snapped an 11-game losing streak by beating Brooklyn on Wednesday but couldn’t maintain any momentum. The Raptors haven’t won consecutive games since home victories over Miami and Indiana on Dec. 1 and 3. They’ve only won back-to-back games twice this season.

Four Magic players connected from deep in a 14-4 run late in the first that gave Orlando a lead it would never relinquish.

Orlando shot 19 for 44 from 3-point range, improving to 18-6 this season when making 10 or more from distance. The Magic are 3-9 when they make nine or fewer 3s.

Orlando hosts Utah on Sunday night. Toronto hosts Milwaukee on Monday night.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

Toronto Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic, left, talks to guard Immanuel Quickley (5) during a timeout in second-half NBA basketball game action against the Orlando Magic in Toronto, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)

Orlando Magic guard Trevelin Queen (12) passes the ball as Toronto Raptors guard Ja'Kobe Walter (14) and guard Davion Mitchell (45) defend during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025 in Toronto. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)

Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes (4) shoots over Orlando Magic guard Caleb Houstan (2) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025 in Toronto. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)

Orlando Magic forward Tristan da Silva (23) dribbles the ball as Toronto Raptors guard Ochai Agbaji (30) defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025 in Toronto. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)

Orlando Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley, right attends to guard Jalen Suggs (4) after he suffered an injury during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Toronto Raptors, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025 in Toronto. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)

Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs (4) holds his back as he lays on the court after suffering an injury during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Toronto Raptors, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025 in Toronto. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)

Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes (4) celebrates a basket during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Orlando Magic, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025 in Toronto. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)

Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs (4) leaves the game in a wheelchair after suffering an injury during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Toronto Raptors in Toronto, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)

Orlando Magic forward Tristan da Silva (23) drives to the net as Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes (4) defends during second-half NBA basketball game action in Toronto, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)

Orlando Magic forward Tristan da Silva (23) looks to pass the ball as Toronto Raptors guard Immanuel Quickley (5) defends during second-half NBA basketball game action in Toronto, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Writer-director Jeff Baena, whose darkly comedic independent films included “The Little Hours” and who was married to his frequent creative collaborator Aubrey Plaza, has died. He was 47.

Baena was found dead Friday morning at a Los Angeles home, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office. His death was ruled a suicide.

Baena co-wrote David O. Russell's 2004 film “I Heart Huckabees” and wrote and directed five of his own films, four of which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.

He had been dating Plaza for three years before she starred in his 2014 directorial debut, the zombie comedy “Life After Beth." His next film, 2016's “Joshy,” featured Thomas Middleditch as a man who gets together with friends months after his fiancee commits suicide.

The son of an attorney and teacher, Baena grew up in Miami and attended film school at New York University. He told podcaster Marc Maron in a 2017 interview that his interest in cinema was sparked after watching Stanley Kubrick's “A Clockwork Orange” and Federico Fellini's “8 1/2” as a child.

“I was always drawn to left-of-center things,” he told Jim Alexander two years ago in an interview for the Reel Talker YouTube channel.

Baena said in the same interview that it was “amazing” to work with Plaza, who appeared in four of his five films. The 40-year-old actor and producer rose to fame playing April Ludgate on the television series “Parks and Recreation” and was nominated for an Emmy for her role on “The White Lotus.” The couple married in 2021.

“The opportunities to create together, to do something creative where we're both fulfilled, it's like, how rare is that? She's down and she's so talented, so I'm really lucky," Baena said.

FILE - Aubrey Plaza, right, and Jeff Baena arrive at the premiere of "The Little Hours" at the 2017 Los Angeles Film Festival in Culver City, Calif., on Monday, June 19, 2017. (Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP, File)

FILE - Jeff Baena arrives at the premiere of "Spin Me Round," Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2022, at The London in West Hollywood, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)