TORONTO — Bojan Bogdanovic had 27 points off the bench and Bradley Beal added 23 as the Washington Wizards snapped an eight-game losing streak against the Toronto Raptors with a 105-96 win on Wednesday night.
John Wall had 12 points and 13 assists for his 39th double-double of the season as the third-place Wizards took the first of a home-and-home series against Toronto, moving a game up on fourth-place Toronto in the standings.
DeMar DeRozan had 24 points and Serge Ibaka added 22 more for the Raptors, who were again without All-Star Kyle Lowry, following the guard’s wrist surgery that will keep him out the remainder of the regular season.
After four consecutive comeback victories in which they trailed by double-digit deficits, the Raptors’ luck ran out on Wednesday as they fell behind by 23 points in the second quarter, with Washington pushing that advantage to 24 in the third quarter. Back-to-back 3-pointers from Ibaka, followed by a driving layup from Norman Powell with 5:13 to play brought Toronto to within 14 points.
A late run in the last minute brought the Raptors within nine points with 23.2 seconds to play, but the contest was over by then.
The Raptors quickly fell behind by eight in the first quarter against a Wizards squad shooting 52.4 percent from the floor. But nine points from Ibaka and another eight from DeRozan kept them from falling too far back, before a pretty passing play from P.J. Tucker to Jakob Poeltl sent Toronto to the second quarter up 26-24.
But the Raptors scored just one point over the first 5:25 of the second, while the Wizards had 26 and took a 23-point lead while shooting 9 of 9 from the field, with Bogdanovic scoring 16 off the bench during that span. The Raptors shot just 33.3 percent from the floor in the period, but another eight from DeRozan helped them regain some composure, going into the half down 62-46.
Guard Brandon Jennings was signed on Wednesday by the Wizards after being released by New York on Monday, but he wasn’t with the team in Toronto. Rookie forward Daniel House was waived to free a roster spot. Guard Trey Burke also missed the game for personal reasons.
Washington has not won a season series against Toronto since the 2007-08 season. This season, the series is tied 1-1. .
Wall and Raptors forward Patrick Patterson both played at Kentucky together before becoming first-round picks in the 2010 draft.
Wednesday’s game was the first of 12 on the road in March for the Wizards. They play just six home games during the month.
Washington improved to 16-1 when holding its opponent under 100 points.
Toronto’s eight-game winning streak over Washington was the longest for either team in the rivalry, bettering the Wizards’ run of six from Nov. 7, 2003-Jan. 21, 2005.
Midway through the third quarter, Wall rifled a one-handed pass past Toronto’s Cory Joseph and hit teammate Martin Gortat flush in the face, knocking him to the floor. The big center took it in stride though, quickly getting up and playing on.
Former Raptor Matt Bonner and current San Antonio Spurs studio analyst Matt Bonner returned to Toronto on Wednesday, taking in the game from courtside.
The “Red Rocket,” the nickname he earned for both his red hair and his penchant for riding the subway, or Rocket as it’s known, was given a rousing reception in the first quarter, as well as a lifetime metro pass. The noted sandwich connoisseur was also given a 6-foot submarine sandwich.
With the Raptors playing a home-and-home series with the Wizards on Wednesday and Friday, Toronto coach Dwane Casey was asked about the importance of the two games, with Boston, Washington, Toronto and Atlanta all within 4 1/2 games of each other at the top of the Eastern Conference before Wednesday’s games.
“These next two are important because they’re with Washington, a team we’re battling with,” he said. “But it’s going to be, whether it’s us, Atlanta, Boston, that group, we’re all going to be bunched up for a while, so every game is important, whoever you’re going against.”
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