Ibaka scores 23, Raptors beat Wizards in Game 1
TORONTO » For the first time in almost 17 years, the Toronto Raptors are off to a winning start in a playoff series.
Not that they’re about it.
Serge Ibaka had 23 points and 12 rebounds, Delon Wright scored 11 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter, and the Raptors snapped a 10-game losing streak in playoff openers by beating the Washington Wizards 114106 Saturday.
“It’s out of the way now,” DeMar DeRozan said of the streak. “Worry about Game 2.”
DeRozan scored 17 points, C.J. Miles and OG Anunoby each had 12 and Kyle Lowry had 11 points and nine assists for the Raptors, whose only previous victory in the opening game of a playoff series came in the second round at Philadelphia on May 6, 2001.
Toronto entered having lost an NBA-worst 10 consecutive Game 1s since, including six at home.
“I think the fans are more relieved than we are,” Wright said.
Raptors coach Dwane Casey said his team, the top seed in the Eastern Conference, is focused on more than Game 1.
“We’re not satisfied,” Casey said. “We’re in this for the long run.”
Toronto put its streak in the past by hitting 16 of 30 3-point attempts, a team record for a postseason game.
“We let a few of their guys that just can flat-out shoot, shoot a lot of 3s,” Wizards coach Scott Brooks said.
Miles made four from long range, while Ibaka and Wright each hit three.
“I always thought Serge was going to be the X-factor with his shooting when overly excited they double-team Kyle and DeMar,” Casey said. “His 3-point shooting is huge.”
Brooks called Ibaka “one of the best, if not the best, big man shooter in the league.”
The Raptors host Game 2 Tuesday.
John Wall had 23 points and 15 assists for the Wizards, while Markieff Morris had 22 points and 11 rebounds.
Bradley Beal scored 19 points for Washington, while Mike Scott had 14 and Marcin Gortat 12.
The Wizards swept Toronto in the first round in 2015 but find themselves in a quick hole this time around.
“We’ve been here before,” Beal said. “We didn’t come here with the mindset that we were going to sweep them. We had opportunities, several opportunities, to win tonight and close it out but we didn’t. Brush it off and move forword.” WARRIORS 113, SPURS 92» Kevin Durant helped the defending champions get defensive in a hurry, finishing with 24 points, eight rebounds and seven assists as Golden State returned to its old dominant selves at playoff time to beat cold-shooting San Antonio.
Durant, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson took charge in Game 1 of the firstround series to elevate the Warriors’ intensity at last playing without fellow AllStar and injured two-time MVP Stephen Curry, sidelined since March 23 with a sprained left knee.
Thompson found his shot and scored 27 points, making 11 of 13 shots, while 7-footer JaVale McGee started in Steve Kerr’s center-by-committee approach and contributed 15 points, four rebounds and two blocked shots in 16 minutes.
Rudy Gay led the Spurs with 15 points off the bench as leading scorer LaMarcus Aldridge was limited to 14 points on 5-for-12 shooting.
Game 2 in the best-ofseven series is Monday night at Oracle Arena.