Raptors 114 – Wizards 106: Wright was right, & so was Serge

Toronto Raptors - Delon Wright (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)
Toronto Raptors - Delon Wright (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)

The Raptors were in serious need of a first-game victory in this year’s playoffs after years of failure. They got that load off their shoulders.

The Washington Wizards gave every impression of wanting to face the Toronto Raptors in Round One of the NBA playoffs. They got their wish, and the Raptors want to make them rue their choice. Toronto took the first step by winning Game One on the strength of a second-half comeback, a fine defensive effort in Q4, and points from 10 of 11 players.

TORONTO, CANADA – APRIL 14: Serge Ibaka
TORONTO, CANADA – APRIL 14: Serge Ibaka

The Raptors got off to a healthy start with a strong Q1. OG Anunoby surprised the Wiz with a couple of 3-balls, and Serge Ibaka was engaged and scoring. However, the momentum slipped away late when our guards stopped dishing inside, and starting missing jumpers instead.

Not every time, Dwane…

One of the biggest issues I’ve had since seemingly forever with Dwane Casey is his almost theological belief in maintaining his rotation. The Raptors were enjoying considerable early success with Jonas Valanciunas. His opposite number, Marcin Gortat, was charged with his first foul on the opening tip, thus managing the difficult feat of hitting the scoreboard in the wrong way before the game actually started. Gortat quickly received another foul and had to sit down. JV was scoring at one end, and rebounding at the other, but Jakob Poeltl came in anyway. The Raptors’ interior scoring disappeared.

I love our bench bunch, but you still need to ride a hot hand.

We want DeMar back

DeMar DeRozan, who’s been mired in a lengthy shooting slump from the mid-range, continued his struggles. He could manage only a single bucket in the half; likewise Kyle Lowry. Our backcourt was getting embarrassed by theirs, in particular the hot-handed John Wall. The Raptors should have been down a bunch. They weren’t because CJ Miles rediscovered his touch from deep, Serge was burying shots from everywhere, and Delon Wright was taking and making quality shots.

The first few minutes of Q3 were critical, as our backcourt found the range from deep. The Wizards’ 4-point lead was quickly erased, but they are a resilient bunch and wouldn’t go away. After a back and forth 12 minutes, the Raptors clung to a one-point lead.

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Washington came out making shots in Q4, and nosed ahead. Then Mike Scott, Washington’s top scorer off the bench, committed a flagrant-1 foul by bodychecking Lowry on his way to the hoop. Our tough guard shook it off, made both shots, and with the Raptors getting the ball back, assisted on Delon’s go-ahead reverse layup. Shortly after, Wright’s steal and 3-ball pushed the Raptors ahead for a 2-point lead they would never relinquish. They scored seven more, as Lucas Nogueira’s presence in the middle seemed to intimidate the Wizards. The visitors hoisted a few Hail Mary threes, and tried some ball pressure, but the outcome wasn’t in much doubt. The Raptors sealed the deal.

Unsung hero

For a man with just 9+ minutes of Q4 playing time, Bebe had a remarkable influence on the outcome. Despite scoring one meagre point, he was plus_8 as the paint protector in closing time.

While Lowry and DeRozan were simply bad in the first half, they redeemed themselves. Lowry handed out 9 dimes, and DD 6. DeMar hit a pair of long balls, and Lowry’s defense was sterling.

In the absence of Fred VanVleet, who is supposed to return on Tuesday, Delon came up huge. He and Serge were both 3 of 4 from distance, and Wright also attacked the bucket to positive effect.

Toronto’s turnover count was much too high, at 17. There were a lot of culprits, including the normally efficient Jakob Poeltl. The ballhandlers will need to be sharper against the quick Wizards.

The game was handled well by the referees, who called a tight game early. A lot of moving screens by both teams were whistled, and the nonsense disappeared. The zebras missed a basket interference on a Lowry layup – why wasn’t that reviewed?

All of southern Ontario is breathing a sigh of relief after getting this series off to a positive start. The Raptors can play better at both ends of the court, and we hope to see that improvement in Tuesday night’s Game Two.