Raptors
Raptors lead from the opening quarter and hold off Wizards 112-102
Toronto beat Washington 112-102 at Capital One Arena and never trailed. The Raptors scored 34 in the first quarter and 31 in the fourth, and they outscored the Wizards 52-32 in the paint. Washington never led and had 20 turnovers.
By the Hoops Nightly Desk · updated 3 h ago01The story of the nightA 34-point first quarter set the termsToronto scored 34 in the opening quarter to Washington's 21, and the Wizards spent the rest of the night chasing.
Toronto scored 34 in the opening quarter to Washington's 21, and the Wizards spent the rest of the night chasing. They won the second quarter 31-26 and cut the margin to 60-52 at halftime. They won the third 25-21 and trailed 81-77 going into the fourth. Each time they got close, Toronto had an answer. The Raptors scored 31 in the fourth against 25 for Washington. The game had no lead changes. The Wizards' biggest lead was zero, and Toronto's was 17. Washington cut into the early hole but never erased it.
02Barnes and Barrett lead the Toronto scoringScottie Barnes had 28 points, 14 rebounds and 5 assists.
Scottie Barnes had 28 points, 14 rebounds and 5 assists. He shot 12 of 26 and had 8 turnovers. RJ Barrett added 23 points on 9-of-16 shooting, with 9 rebounds and 4 assists. Kawhi Leonard scored 16 on 7-of-20 shooting and had 9 rebounds and 3 steals. Immanuel Quickley had 12 points and 6 assists but went 0 for 6 from three. For Washington, Trae Young had 22 points and 12 assists on 5-of-15 shooting, with 4 turnovers. Tre Johnson came off the bench for 20 points, making 4 of 8 threes. Kyshawn George had 11 points and 8 turnovers.
03Toronto won the paint and the transition gameThe paint decided this one.
The paint decided this one. Toronto scored 52 points there to Washington's 32. The Raptors also won fast-break points 17-12 and points off turnovers 22-20. They had 12 steals to Washington's 10 and out-rebounded the Wizards 60-56. Toronto shot 44 of 101 (43.6%) overall, against 30 of 79 (38.0%) for Washington. The Wizards were better from deep, hitting 12 of 37 threes to Toronto's 7 of 34. They also made 30 of 35 free throws against 17 of 21. Those edges were not enough to cover the gap inside. Washington turned the ball over 20 times and Toronto 16.
04Washington's bench was good, but the starters struggledWashington's bench outscored Toronto's 42-27, and it was one of the few areas the Wizards won.
Washington's bench outscored Toronto's 42-27, and it was one of the few areas the Wizards won. Johnson had 20 points and Justin Champagnie had 8 points and 6 rebounds. Khris Middleton had 6 points and 2 steals, and Deandre Ayton had 4 points and 6 rebounds in 14.4 minutes. The starters were the problem. Anthony Davis scored 9 points on 3-of-12 shooting, and George had the 8 turnovers. Bilal Coulibaly finished at minus 20 and George at minus 17. Toronto's reserves had a strong night by plus-minus. Collin Murray-Boyles was plus 21 in 17.6 minutes and Ja'Kobe Walter was plus 19.
05What it means for both teamsToronto came out of Washington with a road win and a game it controlled from the first quarter.
Toronto came out of Washington with a road win and a game it controlled from the first quarter. Barnes and Barrett carried the scoring, and the Raptors' defense produced 12 steals and 22 points off turnovers. The shooting from Leonard and Quickley was uneven, so there is room for the offense to improve. Washington has to clean up its ball security. Twenty turnovers, including 8 from George and 4 each from Young and Davis, gave away possessions in a game the Wizards trailed from the start. The bench scoring is a bright spot, but the starting group has to be sharper.
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