Wizards baffle Raptors in Toronto to take 2-0 lead in playoff series
TORONTO — Bradley Beal poured in 28 points to lift the Wizards to a 117-106 victory over Toronto on Tuesday, sending the Wizards home with a 2-0 playoff series lead over the struggling Raptors.
John Wall added 26 points and 17 assists.
Lou Williams and DeMar DeRozan led Toronto with 20 points apiece, Williams’ performance coming a day after he earned the NBA’s Sixth Man Award. Jonas Valanciunas had 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Patrick Patterson finished with 15.
But the Raptors were hamstrung by another horrible night from all-star point guard Kyle Lowry, who finished with just six points and four assists and sat for large chunks of the game in foul trouble.
On the heels of a dreadful shooting performance in a 93-86 Game 1 loss, the Raptors knew Tuesday that they would be better. Problem was, Washington was as well. Much better.
The Raptors raced out to a 10-point lead and looked strong through the first quarter. But the Wizards roared back and led 97-75 heading into the fourth quarter in front of a disgruntled crowd at the Air Canada Centre that included popular rapper Drake — wearing a leather bomber jacket bearing a huge Raptors logo.
There were thousands more unhappy fans outside, who braved the blustery weather to watch the game on the big screen in Maple Leaf Square.
When the Wizards went up by 23 early in the fourth, dozens of fans headed for the exit. The Raptors would finally rally, cutting the deficit to 10 points on a threepointer by Vasquez with 3:23 to go.
But that was as close as Toronto would get and when Marcin Gortat put Washington back up by 13 with three minutes to play, the arena all but emptied.
The series has had some drama since before the first ball was thrown up with Paul Pierce saying the Raptors didn’t have the “it” factor. Beal waded into the fray Tuesday night, referring to the Raptors as “punks” in a halftime television interview,
“They think that we’re some punks,” Beal said. “They think they can push around. But we’re not rolling.”
In last season’s playoffs, the Raptors dropped Game 1 to the Brooklyn Nets, but bounced back to capture Game 2 100-95. They would take the Nets to seven games before losing the matchup by just a point.
Coach Dwane Casey’s message to his team: come out with “a two-by-four” and hit first. His players to the message to heart — for one quarter at least — racing out to a 10-point lead on a stepback three by Terrence Ross less than four minutes into the game. The Raptors went into the second quarter leading 31-26.
The second spelled disaster for Toronto. Lowry had to sit less than three minutes in with three fouls and the Wizards promptly went on a 25-8 run to head into the dressing room at halftime leading 60-49.
The misery continued in the third as the Wizards shot a whopping 77 per cent in the third quarter and ended the frame with five consecutive three-pointers.
Game 3 is Friday and Game 4 is Sunday, then the series returns to Toronto for Game 5.