The Toronto Raptors are now down 0-2 in their first round series against the Washington Wizards after tonight’s loss. The 117-106 setback puts the team in a tough spot, having to play the next two games in Washington. Once again, the team’s stars were out of sorts, with DeMar DeRozan, Kyle Lowry and Six Man of the Year winner Lou Williams combining for only 17-41 (41%) shooting.
It was really just more of the same for the Raptors. On defence, they had virtually no answer for the Wizards’ explosive guards. John Wall and Bradley Beal had a field day, scoring from wherever they wanted. It got particularly bad for the Raptors in Q2, when Lowry was forced to sit after picking up his third foul. Greivis Vasquez was assigned to cover Wall, and later Beal, but was too slow to stick with either.
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Wall and Beal earned 26 and 28 points respectively, which is more than the entire Raptors starting lineup scored (50). Shocked by that statistic? Here’s another doozy: John Wall had only two-less assists than the Raptors did as a team. His 17 set a Wizards playoff record. The so-called point guard duel between Lowry and Wall has yet to be a competition, thanks to Lowry’s virtual inexistence thus far in the series.
Through games one and two, Lowry has scored 12 points on 5-20 shooting from the field, picking up 10 fouls in the process. He has looked careless so far. The Raptors don’t really have a chance to stay afloat without their best passer and second-best scorer. Lowry will need to bring more fight to game three.
Apr 21, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors forward Terence Ross (31) defends against Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal (3) in the first quarter of game two of the first round of the NBA Playoffs. at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Peter Llewellyn-USA TODAY Sports
On the defensive end, rebounding remained a problem. The Wizards out-rebounded the Raptors 45-28, adding 10 offensive boards in the process. The dominant total was really a team effort. Five Wizards had five or more rebounds. Only Jonas Valanciunas and Amir Johnson earned above four rebounds for the Raps. Tyler Hansbrough was particularly bad, laying a big goose egg in the rebounding category. In fact, Hansbrough finished without a point or assist as well.
Head coach Dwane Casey must be feeling his tie start to tighten. If the Raptors lose this series in four or five games, Masai Ujiri will have a hard time justifying keeping Casey around. He has proven to be a stubborn in-game tactician, seeming unwilling to make key adjustments during timeouts. When the Wizards started to come on strong in the second quarter, the Raptors remained stagnant and let the game get away.
The Raptors now have two games in Washington to try to save their season. A series win isn’t impossible, but it will be tough. Priorities: rebounding, finding an answer for Wall and Beal, and getting Lowry involved.
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