Toronto Raptors: 3 takeaways from Game 3 vs. Wizards
By Chris Conner
The Washington Wizards got their first taste of home cooking Friday. Here are three takeaways from Game 3 as they defeated the Toronto Raptors122-103.
The Toronto Raptors and Washington Wizards squared off Friday for Game 3 of their first round playoff series. After a dominating performance in Game 2, many thought the Raps might be on their way to a sweep. The Wizards clearly had other plans, dominating the Raptors after a slow start to bring the series to 2-1.
Washington’s backcourt erupted for 56 points as both John Wall and Bradley Beal finished with 28 points apiece. Toronto had a tough time stopping the Wizards all night, resulting in one of their worst defensive performances all season.
Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan finished with 23 and 19 points respectively, both hitting their season averages, but combined for eight turnovers. The Raptors as a team finished with 18 in a very poor performance. Toronto will have to clean things up if it has plans of winning Game 4.
Toronto will also have to do a better job of keeping its composure.
Three technical fouls and a flagrant cannot be head coach Dwayne Casey’s definition of physical. The more their focus is away from the game, the bigger opportunity Washington has at tying this series. Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s look at the three takeaways from Game 3.