The Toronto Raptors are frustrated after a 138-117 loss to the Washington Wizards inside the Capital One Arena.
Despite getting good news that Scottie Barnes would play for the Raptors while battling an illness, it wasn’t enough for the team to pace with the Wizards, who seem to hit every shot in sight against the Raptors. As a team, the Wizards made nearly 60 per cent of their shots, which is never a good recipe for a win if you are the opponent.
The Wizards led by as much as 20 points during the game, establishing their dominance on the Raptors on both ends of the floor.
Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes loses the ball as Washington Wizards center Alex Sarr defends. | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Raptors fall flat against Wizards
The Raptors were led in scoring by Brandon Ingram, who had 29 points on 10-of-20 shooting from the floor. Immanuel Quickley had 25 of his own, while Ja’Kobe Walter added 15 off the bench. Barnes added 14 while Sandro Mamukelashvili put in 13 on the box score.
The Wizards had 23 points from Kyshawn George while CJ McCollum and Bilal Coulibaly had 21 points apiece. Alex Sarr had 15 points, while Bub Carrington matched that total off the bench. Rookie guard Tre Johnson joined them in double digits with 12 points in 20 minutes.
While the Raptors were getting to the free throw line frequently, making 25 of their 27 attempts from the charity stripe, they struggled to crash the glass. The team managed to grab just 33 rebounds while the Wizards came away with 46. The paint is where the game was lost and that’s the unfortunate reality of the contest.
The Raptors will have games like this over the course of the season and it’s about how they respond when they face adversity. The team is not 100 percent healthy and that is cause for concern, but the Raptors can’t use it as an excuse. They have to watch the film, learn from their mistakes and get past the game in order to move forward as a team in what should be a long season for Toronto that isn’t halfway over.
The Raptors will return home as they get back on the court against Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors. Tipoff is scheduled for Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET inside the Scotiabank Arena. Fans can watch them on TSN Sports or stream it on NBA League Pass.
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