The Toronto Raptors were facing a Wizards team decimated by injuries. With all our troops back, this game should have been a relative breeze. But the Raptors always seem to play up or down to the level of their opponents. A comfortable lead after 43 minutes disappeared. The Raptors didn’t make a basket for the game’s last five minutes, and the Wizards crept back and even had multiple chances to tie in the dying seconds. Happily for our gang, all their 3-balls rimmed out, and DeMarre Carroll blocked John Wall’s final attempt at the buzzer.
First Half
Washington’s offense should have been crippled due to their injury woes, but even without gunner Bradley Beal and others, the visitors hung around in Q1.