Tar Heels in NBA: Cole Anthony leads Orlando in losing effort vs Toronto

Among Tar Heels in NBA games on Sunday night, rookie point guard Cole Anthony was the shining star.

After a pair of sluggish games against the Clippers and Kings to close out the week, Orlando Magic rookie point guard Cole Anthony got his groove back against the Toronto Raptors on Sunday night.

The former Tar Heel one-and-done scored a team-high 16 points against the NBA’s lone Canadian team, which is playing its home games at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida due to travel restrictions surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic. Unfortunately for Anthony and company, it wasn’t enough to fend off the 8-12 Raptors, who sit in last-place of the Atlantic Division standings after winning 53 games just a season ago.

Anthony, though, was a bright spot for Orlando on a night that not a whole lot of things went well for the boys in black and blue. He hit 5-of-10 shots from the floor after shooting just 4-for-19 in his previous two games combined. He also dished out a team-high six assists, and pulled down five rebounds in 32 minutes of play. In addition to that, he connected on 5-of-6 from the free throw line, a place where he’s shot 86 percent for the season.

Sunday night marked the third consecutive game that Anthony has recorded six assists, and his fourth in the last five games. He’s also had at least five rebounds in seven of the team’s last 10 games, a statistic that probably shows the 6-foot-2 guard’s hustle and determination more than anything else. That’s particularly evident on the nights that Anthony isn’t seeing his shot go in the hoop, as he continues to play a consistent role both as a rebounder and distributor.

For the season, Anthony is averaging 10.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.7 assists, and his shooting efficiency both overall and from three-point range has been steadily improving over the past few weeks. He’s got a ways to go, but Cole Anthony may just turn out to be a pretty solid professional basketball player.

For more on him, and everything else UNC basketball, check back with Keeping It Heel.