 | Toronto | 117 | Final Box Score | 113 | Washington |  |
 C- | N. Powell24 MIN, 7 PTS, 5 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 3-5 FG, 1-2 3FG, 0-0 FT, 1 BLK, 3 TO, 20 +/- Frustrating, and erratic. Gave effort on defense, and had a signature block, also banged in a triple. Continuously crowded other players on offense and gave up key turnovers that sparked the Wizards deadly transition offense. Somehow had a monstrous +20 +/-. | |
 A- | O. Anunoby29 MIN, 12 PTS, 4 REB, 1 AST, 1 STL, 5-10 FG, 2-4 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, -1 +/- Awesome first half, tried a couple things off the dribble early which didn’t go well, but that’s okay. Really struggled attacking from the weak-side, ramming into the paint with little success. However, he was great on defense and he banged in a couple triples (his form is miles better than last year). He dunks EVERYTHING he gets at the rim. Quiet second half, but we love this man. | |
 B+ | J. Valanciunas19 MIN, 16 PTS, 7 REB, 1 AST, 0 STL, 5-8 FG, 0-0 3FG, 6-7 FT, 1 BLK, 1 TO, 5 +/- Kept the offense afloat early and it was disappointing to see Nurse go away from him later on in the game, but those are the breaks when Wall and Beal are creating havoc. Killed it in his time on the floor. | |
 A+ | K. Lowry35 MIN, 28 PTS, 3 REB, 12 AST, 1 STL, 10-21 FG, 4-9 3FG, 4-4 FT, 1 BLK, 4 TO, 1 +/- KLOE. As the team struggled to create shots for themselves and others he was spreading the team’s peanut butter as thin as it could go over the proverbial bread. Creative getting shots for others and heady producing his own looks, of which he hit a healthy amount.In the 4th quarter he took over the game and closed this baby out. Took another charge, of course. One of the best point guards in the league. | |
 C+ | D. Green31 MIN, 5 PTS, 3 REB, 0 AST, 1 STL, 1-9 FG, 1-8 3FG, 2-2 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 2 +/- Shot wasn’t falling at all. An energizer bunny on defense fitting in really well with this bouncy, switchy scheme. Didn’t cause any problems outside of the brick-house he built. | |
 B | S. Ibaka28 MIN, 16 PTS, 9 REB, 0 AST, 1 STL, 4-10 FG, 0-1 3FG, 8-10 FT, 1 BLK, 2 TO, 1 +/- Perfectly adequate. Was a release valve at times for the offense, and rebounded about as well as you can expect. Would’ve liked JV getting some of those minutes, but Ibaka held up. | |
 A- | F. VanVleet27 MIN, 13 PTS, 4 REB, 5 AST, 0 STL, 4-9 FG, 1-2 3FG, 4-5 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, -6 +/- Passive to start, seemed allergic to the rim, and didn’t press his signature on the first half. Strong 3rd quarter Nash-ing the pick and roll continuously until he found himself or a teammate a shot. PU3IT to cash in on the 2-for-1 at the end of the 3rd. Huge shot at the end of the game, he’s still got the ice in his veins. | |
 A | P. Siakam26 MIN, 10 PTS, 10 REB, 2 AST, 1 STL, 4-8 FG, 1-1 3FG, 1-3 FT, 1 BLK, 2 TO, 9 +/- The big man who can blow by guards. If you were trying to sell Siakam stock this would be one of the games to show. All over the court, warping the defense on the break and walling off the lane from would be line drives. Unfortunately missed a few of his drop-step finishes that he’s gotten so good at. Great defensive effort, efficient on offense. Shame he fouled out, but he was terrific. | |
 B- | C. Miles13 MIN, 10 PTS, 6 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 3-7 FG, 0-1 3FG, 4-5 FT, 0 BLK, 2 TO, -6 +/- Strange game for CJ tonight. Super aggressive getting to the rim, and nonexistent from behind the arc. Useful to start the 2nd half as he strung together a couple buckets while the Raptors offense was sedate. | |
 Inc | L. Brown9 MIN, 0 PTS, 1 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 0-1 FG, 0-1 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, -5 +/- Impressed he actually put up a jumper! Not something we see very often, which is probably a good thing. | |
 Inc | K. Leonard0 MIN, 0 PTS, 0 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 0-0 FG, 0-0 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 0 +/- Get that rest, my guy. We love you. | |
 B+ | Nick Nurse Would’ve liked to see JV instead of Serge at times. Really liked going away from Powell at the start of the second half, and he drew up a great play for that shot VanVleet hit towards the end of the game. No complaints. | |
Things We Saw
- With Lowry operating in chill mode the Raptors really missed Kawhi. He likely would have operated as a great option going to the rim and punishing the Wizards lacklustre rim protection, which none of the other Raptors seemed determined to challenge. Strange game as far as shot selection, forced passes to the roll man all game, and the paint was plugged until late in the 4th quarter. Bad game to go cold from three, but we persevere.
- Sloppy taking care of the ball. Tough look giving the Wizards so many transition opportunities considering they had so much trouble scoring against the Raptors half-court defense. You can’t let John Wall out on the break if you want to punish the Wizards.
- Big game for Pascal. Love seeing him get in front of drives he has no business being in front of. He’s one of the 15 guys in the league where it’s a fruitless endeavour for guards to try and iso him. The way he runs the court on the break opens up so much for everyone else, the defense having to be cognizant of his cheetah like presence opens up the corner three ever so slightly. Excited for his 3rd year.
- What a victory on this B2B though! With Kawhi resting up back home, and no Delon to speak of it’s really nice to grab one from a Wizards team that looks like it could push for a top-5 spot in the east on their home court.
