Wizards dominate Raptors for first win of the series

Bradley Beal heeded his coach’s plea to “do his job” by scoring 21 of his 28 points in the first half, his All-Star backcourt running mate John Wall delivered 28 points and 14 assists, and the Washington Wizards beat the Toronto Raptors, 122-103, Friday night in an occasionally heated game to cut their Eastern Conference firstround playoff series deficit to 2-1.

DeMar DeRozan led Toronto with 23 points on 10for-22 shooting one game after scoring 37, and Kyle Lowry had 19 points and eight assists.

The start initially had the look of “Here we go again,” as Toronto moved ahead, 2718. The Raptors, after all, outscored Washington by an average of 11 points in the first period over Games 1 and 2. But this time, Washington responded with a 12-point run capped by Beal’s 3 with under a minute left.

Midway through the third period, things nearly spiraled out of control. Beal grabbed at the ball when Jonas Valanciunas wouldn’t let it go after being called for an offensive foul. Several players got in each other’s faces, including Serge Ibaka and Wall, prompting the latter’s bodyguard to intercede. The episode ended without any punches thrown. Wall and Ibaka continued jawing at each other from a safe distance, drawing double techs, along with the “T” given to Beal.

NHL

WINNIPEG ADVANCES » Jacob Trouba, Bryan Little, Brandon Tanev and Joel Armia scored in the first 11:59 and the Winnipeg Jets beat the Wild 5-0 on Friday night to win a playoff series for the first time in franchise history.

Connor Hellebuyck made 30 saves for his second shutout of the series, and Mark Scheifele added a goal in the third to help the Jets finish off the Wild in five games. Winnipeg will face the winner of the Nashville-Colorado series in the second round.

The white-clad crowd of 15,321 at Bell MTS Place stood and began cheering and waving white towels with just over two minutes remaining. A similar-size crowd was outside watching on giant screens at a “whiteout” street party.

Winnipeg’s previous postseason appearance was a sweep by Anaheim in 2015. The franchise moved from Atlanta in 2011. The Thrashers started in 1999-2000, with their only playoff series ending in four straight losses to the New York Rangers in 2007. The series came 31 years after the original Jets last won a series before the team moved to Arizona. FLYERS TOP PENGUINS » Sean Couturier’s long shot from the point got past Matt Murray with 1:17 left and the Philadelphia Flyers beat the Pittsburgh Penguins, 4-2, on Friday night to force a sixth game in the first-round series.

The Flyers cut the Penguins’ series lead to 3-2 going into Game 6 on Sunday in Philadelphia.