The Raptors and Wizards battled on Toronto's home turf at Scotiabank Arena on March 8, in a showdown between two of the Eastern Conference's lowest-seeded teams. The Raptors currently hold the 13th seed with a record of 21-43, while the Wizards, with a record of 13-49, sit at the bottom of the NBA in 15th place in the East.
So, as these two teams prepared for back-to-back matchups on their schedule, it really became a battle of which squad was more committed to the tank. A loss could prove to be make or break for their chances of acquiring the top draft pick in this year's class: Duke standout Cooper Flagg.
It really was a teeter-totter game, where it seemed like Washington was on track to get the job done after all. However, the ever-gutsy Raptors, despite their recent commitments to trying to lose, still managed to keep this game wire-to-wire. In the final stages, it came down to some major plays involving Raptors rookie Jamal Shead, with the team relying on just 2.3 seconds to finish the game as the score read 118-117 in favor of the Wizards.
Raptors vs. Wizards on March 8 was a surprisingly exciting matchup
Shead would be tasked with getting the ball in bounds on the first possession, where he arguably stepped on the line, nearly forcing a turnover, but it ultimately wasn't called. That could have been the final nail in the coffin for Toronto, definitely a more demoralizing one at that, as it would put a damper on what was otherwise a solid night for the ex-Houston Cougar.
However, the Raptors would get another chance to seal the game, with Canadian wing AJ Lawson set to inbound the ball on the next possession. He found Shead on the perimeter, who drove in for a layup off the glass that bounced a bit before the buzzer sounded. It looked like the Raptors had done it—game set, match. The boys ran out onto the court to embrace Shead as Scotiabank Arena erupted with joy for the rookie's big moment.
The shot was ultimately ruled not counted upon review, as the video replay showed that the ball did not leave Shead's fingertips before the clock hit zero. The Raptors nearly pulled off another thrilling nail-biter buzzer beater, much like rookie Ja'Kobe Walter had accomplished earlier in the week.
Shead would say the following about the closing sequence in a quote given to TSN's Raptors beat reporter Josh Lewenberg, which he posted on X:
Some great perspective from rookie Jamal Shead after his near game-winner. A young man with maturity beyond his years.
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) March 9, 2025
"Sometimes you make ‘em like Ja’Kobe did, which was a great moment. Sometimes you don’t get the ball off in time, but you move on.” pic.twitter.com/YMRTUonQlk
I think this ultimately resulted in a bit of a moral victory for the Toronto Raptors and especially for Jamal Shead, even if the team didn't get to hear their names announced as the victors when the game ended.
Shead's last-second shot boosted the Raptors' morale, even if it didn't count
The squad still had a feel-good moment as they praised one of their own for nearly getting the job done in a high-stress scenario. I wrote last month about a growing pressure on Shead's shoulders, as he hadn’t been separating himself from the pack like he did earlier in the year. This could potentially dampen his prospects of becoming a key piece in the Raptors' rotation moving forward.
But on this night, it showed that Shead, despite being a rookie, does have the poise to be the saving grace in a clutch situation.
And for those in the Raptors tank nation, well this is exactly the type of result you'd want to see even in the midst of a defeat. The young guys get their reps in, Toronto doesn't rise in the standings above the Brooklyn Nets (who lost earlier in the night against the middling Charlotte Hornets), and Washington gets forced to add another victory to their losing record.
This somewhat cinematic ending to an otherwise unremarkable regular season game between two struggling Eastern Conference teams showed that the Raptors' team spirit is in a good place, even if this season has given them plenty of reasons to hang their heads in disappointment.
That said, the Raptors might still be teetering on the edge of dangerous territory, stuck in NBA purgatory—a team too strong for the weak but not quite ready to compete with the league's elite.