The Toronto Raptors start their playoff journey and it starts with the Washington Wizards. The Raptors faced off against the Washington Wizards 3 years ago where the Raptors lost in a 4-0 sweep. The Washington Wizards purposely threw the last game to fall to the 8th seed and match-up with the Toronto Raptors. This is Toronto’s chance to show that that was a huge mistake. The Raptors have had trouble in Game 1 and have yet to win a Game 1 in their entire franchise history, but for some reason, this season feels different. The Raptors will be without Fred VanVleet who will sit out with the injured shoulder.
The Toronto Raptors started off this game strong with JV able to take advantage of Gortat inside. JV got both Gortat and Mahinmi in foul trouble. The rookie, OG Anunoby, did not shy away from the moment and was aggressive on the offensive end. OG hit a couple threes in the first quarter and did not shrink in the playoff spotlight. The Wizards’ defensive scheme was to double both DeRozan and Lowry and get the ball out of their hands. This was the same defense they implemented 3 years ago, but the supporting cast for the Toronto Raptors has gotten more usage this year compared to the rest and are confident in their abilities to make plays. Ibaka, JV and OG handled the pressure and thrived. The Raptors were up 22-13 with less than 6 minutes left in the first, but turnovers allowed the Wizards to cut the lead down. The Raptors continued to turn the ball over and committed 3 offensive fouls in the first quarter for a total of 7 turnovers in the quarter. The Raptors managed to take a 28-23 lead, but the turnovers erased all the momentum.
The Bench Mob started the second quarter and were matched up with a few of the Washington starters. Marcin Gortat was able to crash the glass and wreak havoc on Jakob Poeltl and Siakam in the middle. Delon Wright was forcing passes that weren’t there and the turnovers started to add up. A couple CJ Miles threes was a good sign to see and kept the Raptors afloat among the turnovers and bad play. Every time the Raptors go on a run, the Washington Wizards respond right back and managed to steal the lead midway in the second quarter. John Wall started to push the pace and create easy looks for all his teammates. The Wizards’ offense was clicking and were shooting 61% in the second quarter. Toronto turned the ball too many times and had defensive breakdowns allowing Washington to get high percentage shots. The Raptors went into halftime trailing 55-59.
The Raptors were playing well but starting to go away from what worked in the first quarter and that was going inside to their big men. Both Ibaka and JV were highly effective in the first half, but the game started to be played more on the perimeter which worked into Washington’s hands. The Wizards’ game plan of taking Lowry and DeRozan out of the game was working. The pressure forced turnovers and the Raptors were unable to knock down shots. DeRozan and Lowry combined to go 2/8 from the field in the first half but were great at finding their teammates so not much concern there. Serge Ibaka led the team with 14 early points and OG chipped in with 10. John Wall had a masterful first half with 13 points and 10 assists at halftime. He was dissecting the Raptors with his change of pace and penetration into the lane. The Raptors accumulated 11 turnovers in the first half and will be a huge concern going into the second half.
DeMar DeRozan came out in the second half like a man on a mission. He was aggressive looking for his shot and the Wizards’ defense was lax on the pick-and-roll. DeRozan was able to get to the rack on fast break opportunities and hit a couple rhythm threes. Kyle Lowry’s defense on Wall and Beal was feisty and intense. Lowry also responded in the second half with aggression and scored a quick 5 points to start the quarter. DeRozan scored 12 points in the quarter and woke up the Air Canada Centre. This crowd has seen too many Game 1 losses, but the confidence the team started the second half changed minds of all Toronto Raptor fans in the world. OG was making good cuts and DeMar found OG for easy dunks on the baseline. Otto Porter and Bradley Beal started to respond and were hitting shots of their own. Both teams battled and neither team could create a significant lead. The quarter ended 86-85 with the Raptors clawing out a 1-point lead. The turnover total was now at 17 and continues to be a problem.
Dwane Casey started the fourth quarter with the bench and Kyle Lowry. Usually this lineup would have VanVleet on the floor who is another playmaker, but without VV, Casey went with Lowry. The Raptors were having trouble guarding Mike Scott who was able to score inside and outside. Poeltl found Siakam for a dunk which was their first connection of the evening. The young big men could not get anything going for most of the game. Delon Wright was playing good defense on Beal and the game was up for grabs. Lowry was heading down court before he was sent to the ground by a Mike Scott elbow which warranted a flagrant-1 foul. This ignited Lowry and changed the game entirely. After Lowry hit both free throws and Delon hits the layup to give the Raptors a 92-91 lead, Casey makes the move of the game.
Casey substitutes Lucas Nogueira into the game for Jakob Poeltl and the whole game shifted. Bebe’s length on the defensive end caused the Washington Wizards to rethink their shots and alter them. The consecutive stops led to the Raptors attacking in transition. CJ Miles and Delon Wright were making it rain from downtown. The Raptors went up 103-96 with half the quarter to go and the ACC was as loud as ever. Lowry’s basket, Bebe free throw and Wright three-ball as the lead ballooned to 12. Toronto stopped the Washington Wizards consistently in the fourth quarter. Casey rolled with Lowry, Wright, DeRozan, Ibaka and Bebe to close out the game. The Lowry and Ibaka pick-and-roll worked to perfection as Ibaka lays it up to put the Raptors up 7 with less than a minute to go. Free throws iced the game and the Raptors finally win Game 1 at home. John Wall with only one assist in the fourth quarter with Bebe’s and Wright’s length blocking any passing lanes. The Raptors do not turn the ball over in the fourth quarter. The Raptors win the fourth quarter 28-21 and go up 1-0 in the series. Next game Tuesday night.
Toronto Raptors Washington Wizards
114 106
Raptors Lead Series 1-0
Player of the Game
Serge Ibaka
33 minutes, 23 points, 12 rebounds, 1 assist, 0 steals, 2 blocks, 1 turnover, 8/11 shooting, 3/4 3PT, 4/4 FT, +0
Serge Ibaka with days of rest has been proved to play well and he proved the statistics right. Serge’s ability to play the power forward and center positions depending on the situation makes him a huge asset. When matching up with Mike Scott and Markieff Morris, Ibaka is the perfect fit for providing an agile big who can cover the 3-point shooter, get back to rebound the ball, protect the rim and give you good offense as well. This team relies on Lowry and DeRozan but also on Ibaka who came through on this night. The Raptors will need Ibaka to continue his excellent play in Game 2.
Things To Take Away From This Game
1. Turnovers
The Raptors continue to give their opponents chances to comeback into games and easy opportunities to score with all their turnovers. The Raptors turned the ball over 17 times in this game. The second quarter the Raptors turned the ball over constantly and allowed the Wizards to take a lead going into halftime on your home floor. This team has struggled taking care of the ball in the past week and will be a point of emphasis going forward if this team is going to have success deeper into the playoffs. They did not turn the ball over in the fourth and was a factor in why the team put the game out of hand in that fourth quarter.
2. Dwane Casey
The man on the sidelines pulling the strings and he orchestrated one heck of a game. Dwane Casey lashed into his team at halftime and the team responded. He was masterful in the way he was substituting players in and out. There were slight decisions that can be taken for granted but when evaluating the game overall, those were big decisions. Starting Lowry at the beginning of the fourth quarter, putting Bebe in for Poeltl and not playing JV down the stretch. Casey managed a solid game and was able to get the Game 1 monkey off their backs. Now to keep it going on Tuesday.
3. DeRozan & Lowry
When the world was screaming at the two of them for going 2-8 combined at halftime, these guys, in my mind, were playing good basketball. They saw the double teams and made the right basketball decisions. The two All-Stars combined for 17 assists in the game. Both played a great floor game and picked their spots to be aggressive especially in the second half where they took over. The two stars will need to play another game of this caliber or better in Game 2 since the first game is usually the game where both teams feel each other out and see what plays they like to run and how they will play you on offense and defense.
4. Supporting Cast
It is hard to mention this historic Game 1 win and not to mention the supporting cast who propelled this team to the win. The few members that stood out other than Ibaka were OG, Delon, Miles and Bebe. All four of these guys had huge impacts on this game. OG in the first half was excellent in his cuts for scoring and rebounding opportunities. Miles found his stroke in the first and second half. Bebe’s defense in the fourth quarter changed the momentum of the game. And Wright, who struggled in the first half with turnovers, came out in the second half and was a monster. Delon was scoring inside and out, dishing the ball and playing good defense on both Beal and Wall. The supporting cast has helped this team get the number one seed and Casey relied on them to help get this win.
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