Ottawa Daily Digest — Dec. 29, 2025

Raptors rally past Magic — Shead’s career night

• Score: Toronto Raptors 107, Orlando Magic 106 (Dec. 29, 2025).
• Jamal Shead scored a career-high 19 points off the bench in 29 minutes and added 5 assists and 4 rebounds.
• Brandon Ingram: 17 points, 9 rebounds. Scottie Barnes: 13 points, 11 rebounds (double-double). Gradey Dick: 15 points off the bench.
• Paolo Banchero recorded a triple-double for Orlando: 23 points, 15 rebounds, 10 assists. Anthony Black had 27 points.
• Standings impact: Toronto 20-14; Orlando 18-15 — Orlando missed a chance to leapfrog Toronto in the Eastern Conference.

Raptors sign centre Mo Bamba

• The Toronto Raptors signed veteran centre Mo Bamba (age 27), listed at 7 feet tall and 231 pounds.
• Announcement made Dec. 29, 2025; coach Darko Rajaković said Bamba would be available the same night vs. Orlando.
• Role: rim protector, shot-blocker, roll-and-pace contributor; team seeks defensive intensity and interior presence.

Jakob Poeltl sidelined with lower-back issue

• Starting centre Jakob Poeltl is out at least another week while rehabbing a lower-back problem.
• Poeltl’s absence prompted the Bamba signing and changes to Toronto’s frontcourt rotation.

OPP impaired-driving charge after ditch crash (Rainbow Falls)

• Incident: single-vehicle crash just after midnight on Dec. 26, 2025, on Highway 17 near Rainbow Falls Provincial Park.
• Schreiber OPP found the vehicle in a ditch with an open alcohol container; the 68-year-old driver from Marathon, Ont., admitted drinking and failed a breathalyzer.
• Charges: operating while impaired and operating while impaired with a blood alcohol concentration above the legal limit.

Bench and rotation notes

• With Barrett (injury management) and Poeltl unavailable, bench players like Shead and Gradey Dick played expanded roles.
• The Raptors emphasized depth: bench scoring (Shead 19, Dick 15) and defensive additions (Bamba).

Quick facts & numbers

• Game time minutes: Shead 29. Banchero triple-double: 23/15/10. Raptors record: 20-14. Magic record: 18-15. Crash date: Dec. 26, 2025. Suspect age: 68.