Scottie Barnes posted 28 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to guide the Toronto Raptors to a 112-102 victory over the Washington Wizards on Friday night in Washington. The Raptors extended their strong defensive start this season, forcing 23 turnovers after forcing 27 in their opener against Chicago.
RJ Barrett added 23 points, while Kawhi Leonard contributed 16 as Toronto built an early lead and kept the Wizards at bay for most of the game. Washington’s Trae Young recorded 22 points and 12 assists but could not help his team overcome a 17-point deficit in the second quarter.
The Wizards managed to narrow the gap to a single point early in the third quarter on a layup by Bilal Coulibaly, sparking a 9-0 run that brought Washington to 64-61. Jamison Battle’s three-pointer late in the third quarter cut the Raptors’ lead to 81-77. Despite these efforts, Toronto maintained a multiple-possession advantage throughout the final quarter.
The Raptors dominated the paint with a 52-32 edge in points and outrebounded Washington 18-6 on the offensive glass. Collin Murray-Boyles helped fuel a 12-3 run midway through the first quarter with a steal and dunk that pushed Toronto ahead 22-11.
The Wizards’ Anthony Davis, who had scored 34 points in his season opener Wednesday, finished with just nine points on 3-for-12 shooting. Tre Johnson was the only other Washington player in double figures with 20 points.
Toronto jumped to an early lead with Barrett and Leonard hitting three-pointers to start the scoring. Barrett and Allen Graves extended the lead to 38-21 early in the second quarter. Washington never led after the opening moments of the game.
The Raptors will visit Minnesota on Sunday, while the Wizards prepare to complete their first back-to-back set of the season with a game Saturday in Chicago.
According to Yahoo Sports.
