After a dominating first half, the Toronto Raptors held on to a victory over the Washington Wizards to take a critical 2-0 series lead.
Things could not have went any better for the Toronto Raptors in the first half on Tuesday night. Toronto scored a franchise post-season record 76 points in the first half, shot 56-percent from the field including 50-percent from three, and got DeMar DeRozan going with 20 first half points, after a rough game one. The second-half was not quite as impressive, but the Raptors worked through their bench and held on for a 130-119 win.
The Raptors set the tone in the opening quarter. Toronto dominated Washington, outscoring them 44-27, thanks in large part to their three-point shooting. Toronto was aggressive from beyond the arc, and it paid huge dividends as they hit 7 of 13 from deep.
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From that point on, the game was relatively even. The Wizards managed to outscore the Raptors by a six-point margin, but some of that can be attributed to coach Casey experimenting with Lorenzo Brown and Norman Powell minutes.
In a strange turn of events, it was the Raptors starting unit that saved the bench this game. DeMar DeRozan, Serge Ibaka, Kyle Lowry and Jonas Valanciunas, all recorded a +/- of at least than 23, and with the exception of Lowry, had box-scores to back it up. DeRozan tied a career playoff high with 37 points, Valanciunas recorded a first-half double-double, and Ibaka was a rebound short of a double-double, while also recording three blocks.
After an impressive game one, the Raptors once again received impressive performances from the small forward position. OG Anunoby and C.J. Miles were spectacular in their own ways against the Wizards. Miles scored 18 points on only seven attempts, as Anunoby locked down any Wizard in his vicinity. Spending the majority of his minutes on Bradley Beal, OG deserves the lion’s share of the credit for Beal’s 3-11, nine-point performance.
As a team, Toronto had a noticeable advantage inside all night long. Marcin Gortat was essentially a non-factor, scoring zero points in only 12 minutes. The Wizards big-man checked out four minutes into the first-quarter and didn’t receive playing time the rest of the first-half. During the second-half Gortat did receive 8 minutes, but was 0-2 from the field and only recorded two rebounds.
Instead, the Wizards elected to play Ian Mahinmi and small-ball units. This back-fired in a big way. JV and company dominated on the boards, particularly when the Wizards went small, and as a result Toronto outrebounded Washington 48-34.
All together, it was a hell of a performance from the Raptors. Toronto gained its first 2-0 series lead in franchise history and is looking more dominant than ever.
However, the old saying says, “The series doesn’t start until the home team loses”. An utterly stupid and over-recited phrase does have a kernel of truth to it. The Wizards will have an advantage the next two games, and if Washington is able to hold home-court, the series momentum will begin to shift.
Next: Five Predictions for the Raptors opening round
The Toronto Raptors and Washington Wizards will face off again Friday 8:00 PM ET.