|
 Patrick Patterson had 18 points and fellow forward Amir Johnson
scored 17 for the Raptors (16-15), who turned a 48-45 halftime lead
into a rout with a 19-4 third-quarter run fueled by 3-pointers.
"You can tell, we don't care who scores," DeRozen said.
Toronto's 29 assists on 40 made field goals underlined his point.
"Winning is contagious, and we're making winning plays," said Lowry,
who had 11 assists. "It's not about making extra passes. It's about
winning and how you win is by making extra passes, so everyone is
making extra passes, so everybody wants to win."
Raptors small forward Terrence Ross sank four 3-pointers in the
third quarter for 12 of his 14 points. Lowry made all four of his
3-point attempts overall and Toronto finished 11 of 22 from beyond
the arc.
The Raptors never trailed, led by 26 points in the second half and
scored 25 points off Washington's 18 turnovers. Toronto has won five
straight and is 9-2 since trading forward Rudy Gay to Sacramento
last month.
Power forward Nene scored 15 points and point guard John Wall had 11
for the Wizards (14-16), who went nearly nine minutes of the second
half without a field goal.
Washington has lost two straight games, both at home, after closing
2013 winning five of six.
"I was shocked probably more than surprised," Wizards coach Randy
Wittman said of his team's uninspiring effort. "We had creep in for
the first time in a long time more selfish play than we've had."
The Wizards also lost on New Year's Day at home to the Dallas
Mavericks.
Wittman continued.
"I hope it's a smack in the face," the coach said of the setback. "I
hope it's 20 degrees below zero and they get smacked in the face
outside with that, too. Maybe that'll wake them up, too. I'll figure
something out. We're going to get it one way or another."
In the third quarter, the Wizards had only assist compared with the
Raptors' 10.
Told of Wittman's mention of selfish play, Wall said, "I don't see
it that way at all. I think we're playing the right way as a team.
You can't say that. I feel like we try to play as a team, try to
play the right way."
[to top of second column] |
Toronto shot 61.1 percent from the field in the first
quarter, had 17 assists on 20 first-half baskets and led 35-25
in the second quarter.
Lethargic early, Washington fed off Nene's eight second-quarter
points and entered halftime trailing 48-45. The momentum didn't
stay with the home team for long.
Ross' third 3-pointer within the opening three minutes of the
third quarter extended the Raptors' lead to 60-49. Lowry's
basket from beyond the arc capped the decisive run for a 73-53
lead with 5:21 remaining.
"We play the game the right way," Raptors coach Dwane Casey
said. "Twenty-nine assists, they're trusting each other. There's
nobody that has an ego that thinks they have to have X number of
shots."
Wizards swingman Trevor Ariza received two technical fouls and
was ejected during Toronto's third-quarter surge with six
points.
The Raptors are 10-7 on the road with wins in seven of its last
eight away games.
"I feel like they're just moving the ball, it's not being stuck
no more," Wall said of Toronto's offense.
Forward Martell Webster and guard Bradley Beal each had 12
points and center Marcin Gortat 10 for the Wizards. Washington
outrebounded Toronto 42-33.
Not much else went the home team's way.
The Raptors took the series opener in Toronto 96-88 on Nov. 22
despite a season-high 37 points from Wall, who had scored at
least 20 points in eight straight games entering Friday's
matchup.
NOTES: Raptors F Tyler Hansbrough did not play after
reaggravating a left ankle injury in Wednesday night's win at
Indiana. Before the game, Toronto announced G Dwight Buycks was
assigned to the Bakersville Jam of the NBA's Developmental
League. ... Wizards coach Randy Wittman said no formal timeline exists for F Al Harrington's return from right knee
surgery. The 33-year-old Harrington has missed the last 21
games. ... G Gilbert Arenas was the last Washington player to
score at least 20 points in nine straight games. He had 13
straight games with 20 or more points during the 2006-07 season. ... Toronto plays the middle game of a three-game road
trip at the Miami Heat on Sunday, the same day Washington hosts
the Golden State Warriors.
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