Toronto Raptors vs Washington Wizards Jan.30/08

Andrea Bargnani scored 19 points as Toronto matched its biggest victory in Raptors history on Wednesday with a 122-83 win over the Washington Wizards.

Chris Bosh finished with 16 points in 20 minutes. Anthony Parker finished with 15, Juan Dixon had 12, Jose Calderon had 11 points and 11 assists, and Carlos Delfino finished with 11 points.

The victory was the sixth straight at home for Toronto (25-20), and also a chance at some payback after the Raptors had been burned the previous night in Washington, losing to the Wizards 108-104 in overtime.

DeShawn Stevenson topped the Wizards (24-20) with 16 points, while former Raptor Roger Mason finished with 14.

The Raptors led from the opening whistle Wednesday, and then left little to chance, breaking the game open with a strong second-quarter performance in which they outscored the Wizards 33-18.

Toronto was up 95-64 with one quarter left in the game, and with the starters on the bench, all that was left was for the second unit to wrap up the victory.

And that they did. Seldom-used Maceo Baston wowed the crowd when he took flight for couple of alley-oop dunks in the dying minutes, his second off a pass from Joey Graham giving the Raptors a 37-point lead with four minutes left in the game.

The victory tied the 39-point margin Toronto scored over Atlanta in a 112-73 win on April 12, 2002.

The game was also a welcome break for Bosh, who played just 20 minutes after logging a gruelling 50 the previous night, and Calderon, who was on the court for just 26 minutes.

The Raptors shot a sizzing 57 per cent on the night, and were 13-for-18 from three-point range.

They also edged the Wizards on the boards 38-36. Rebounding had a been a glaring weakness for Toronto in the team's loss the previous night.

Raptors coach Sam Mitchell had been livid after his team was outrebounded 57-44 in Washington, and rebounding was the topic when he addressed the team before the rematch.

``There was no yelling, there was no screaming, there wasn't much to say, it was self-explanatory,'' Mitchell said. ``Like I told them before and I'll tell them again, defensively we're pretty good, and I understand there's nights we give up athleticism, we give up bulk, we give up height.

``But until we figure out a way and understand, hey the guy's bigger, stronger, a little quicker, we've got to box him out. We've got to be smarter about boxing out, we've got to take some chances and be aggressive.''

The Raptors had the hot hand from the start, beginning the game with a 12-0 run. They shot 52 per cent in the quarter, and led 28-23 heading into the second.

Toronto turned it up a notch in the second, outscoring the Wizards 33-18 in the quarter. The Raptors took a 20-point lead when Bargnani sunk a pair of free throws with a minute to play, and headed to the locker-room up 61-41.

With Bosh leading the way with 12 points in the quarter, the Raptors didn't let up in the third, shooting 63 per cent in the quarter. They took a 95-64 advantage into the fourth.

NOTES: The Raptors host the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday, then are Miami on Monday. . . Moon was named to the rookie team for NBA all-star weekend in New Orleans earlier Wednesday, while Bargnani was named to the sophomore squad.

Category:

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• Washington
• Wizards
• Jan.30/08

[epik89]

fuckin  dominated!!

[SrustinLim]

They lay the smackdown on them.

[WhatEvAccountIsNotMe]

@epik89 whatever account you think is chocobo killa on hhboard is not him okay

[abudabiba]

but... do raptors win? XD

[v3locirapt0r]

i was there too! i had my delfino is delfineo sign! did anyone see it?!

[Ouchieforlifebabii]

The way Kapono shoots & hits that shot..deadly!

[19Eric94]

i was there:P

[Segs2009]

i was there live all you guys

[barry06]

raps took em to hogwartz

[barry06]

wizards got no magic.