Beal’s 38 points lead Wizards
Star lifts Washington over Raptors, 107-96; Toronto struggles from get-go
Bradley Beal scored a game-high 38 points and the Washington Wizards defeated the Toronto Raptors, 107-96, in National Basketball Association play at Air Canada Centre on Sunday.
The Wizards (5-4) led by as many as 19 points for much of the first half.
The Raptors managed to cut the deficit down to three points, after Demar DeRozan hit a threepoint shot with 7:24 remaining in the fourth quarter, but Toronto never held a lead at any point in the game.
The Raptors (5-4) struggled to get into a rhythm after the opening tipoff. They were 5-19 from the field (26 per cent) after the opening quarter and trailed the Wizards 32-17.
The first quarter point total was Toronto’s lowest offensively this season.
DeRozan led the scoring for the Raptors with 26 points.
Toronto’s head coach Dwane Casey expected his team could be in for a long night, given they had just completed a season-high six-game road trip.
“This is the toughest game, the scariest game, just because of energy level, time changes,” Casey said beforehand. “The energy level, feeling sorry for ourselves, saying ‘oh we’re a little tired,’ or whatever, that’s what we’ve got to fight.”
Toronto point guard Kyle Lowry was ejected from the game with 8:08 remaining in the second quarter after picking up back-toback technical fouls for arguing calls.
Lowry recorded just two points, both coming from the foul line.
Toronto was forced to rely on their depth for the remainder of the game. Thirty-six of Toronto’s 96 points came off the bench.
NOTE: The Wizards played without John Wall. The star point guard sustained a shoulder injury on Friday against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Wizards coach
Scott Brooks said the injury was a long-term concern before the game: “It’s just maybe another day of rest and let the stinger kind of settle down a little bit.” Brooks expects Wall to be back in the Wizard’s lineup for their next game against the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday.