A weary Wizards team wouldn’t go away for the first 3 quarters of last night’s game. Then came Q4, and the Raptors were too much.
The Toronto Raptors were guilty of allowing a shorthanded and weary Washington Wizards team too much rope, too many chances to get back into a game they should have been blown out of. After frittering away a 14-point lead, the Raptors permitted the Wiz to pull into a tie after Otto Porter picked off a misguided DeMar DeRozan pass and glided in for an uncontested jam. James Johnson’s only bucket of the night restored a slim Raptors lead, and they would never surrender it.
Toronto’s pressure on Washington’s shooters finally broke the visitors’ back in Q4. They made no threes, and garnered not one offensive rebound. No Wizard had a hot hand; all six of their buckets were made by different players. Meanwhile, the Raptors made 9 baskets and 9 free throws.
The best player on the floor was Kyle Lowry, who seemed to sense his friend DeRozan was struggling and stepped into the vacuum. Our point guard was the game’s top scorer with 29 points, including 5 of 9 from 3-point land. DeRozan’s jump shot was off the mark, which left him with basket attacks as his scoring option. The Wiz beat him up mercilessly and he got little sympathy from the zebras. Being DeRozan, he found his way to 17 points anyway.
Lowry was injured near game’s end, getting his wrist caught and hyperextended by Marcin Gortat. I don’t intend to imply any malice, just bad luck. Lowry ran off the floor and into the dressing room. He returned to the bench, but the Raps were up by 17, so his presence certainly wasn’t required. X-rays taken after the game were negative for a break, so the team is calling his problem a sprain. Whether he suits up against the Knick tomorrow night is unknown.
The Raptors’ second unit once again answered the bell in a positive fashion. Terrence Ross contributed on both ends of the floor, with 15 welcome points, a couple of defensive rebounds and a steal. Patrick Patterson’s shot is wholly unreliable. He was one of six from the floor, but coach Dwane Casey kept him out there anyway. He was prominent on the boards with eight, and provided his usual crisp defense. Result: plus_22, a game high.
Close behind with plus_15 was the sharp-shooting Cory Joseph. He missed only 2 of 7, and dished out 6 dimes. Watch for him to start against New York.
Jonas Valanciunas led the rebounding parade with 12, and added 13 points. He and Bismack Biyombo played almost 45 minutes between them, which means coach Casey had the luxury of rim protection and boards all game (the last three minutes were garbage time, folks – Lucas Nogueira hit a 3-ball).
Next: Alternate 5-man units for Raptors
Washington was led by John Wall, as always it seems. The Raptors made him work, and he shot just 6 of 17. Porter played the best game I’ve ever seen from him. He scored efficiently, and made 4 steals. The young man is quick, and anticipates well.
The Raptors win streak is at nine, and they have a chance to set a new franchise record. Can they handle Carmelo Anthony and his mates to make it ten?