Skip to main content

The Toronto Raptors snapped a long-standing and notorious franchise streak on Saturday, finally winning the club’s first-ever opening game of the NBA playoffs – a 114-106 victory over the Washington Wizards.

But they didn’t do it the way many would have guessed, with monster scoring from Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan.

Serge Ibaka led Toronto with 23 points and 12 rebounds, while Delon Wright added 18 points as the Raptors jumped out to a 1-0 series lead over the Wizards at Air Canada Centre.

Open this photo in gallery:

Toronto Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan (10) shoots for a basket over Washington Wizards forward Otto Porter Jr. (22) in game one of the first round of the 2018 NBA Playoffs at Air Canada Centre.Dan Hamilton/Reuters

As Toronto’s playoff foes have often done, Washington zeroed in defensively on Lowry and DeRozan, trapping and double-teaming Toronto’s All-Star duo. But the pair stayed true to Toronto’s new offensive style and responded by getting other players involved. Lowry gave Toronto 11 points but nabbed a pair of steals and dished out nine assists, while DeRozan had 17 points and six assists.

“We’ve got the upmost confidence in our teammates, the way we’ve been playing all year,” said DeRozan. “The style we’ve been playing all year is having trust in our teammates to make the next play. You see it. We invite the traps on us honestly; it kind of takes the pressure off us. Understand we’ll make the right pass and everyone else to going to make the right play, and guys did.”

Washington star point guard John Wall, who missed half the season with a knee injury and had not faced the Raptors in any of their four regular season meetings, put up 21 points and 15 assists. His star backcourt mate Bradley Beal posted 19 points.

The Raptors came into the day 0-9 in the opening game of the NBA playoffs. In fact that last time the franchise had won the first game of any playoff series was 2001, when the Raps beat Allen Iverson’s Philadelphia 76ers in Game 1 of a second-round series they’d eventually lose.

Unlike during playoff games the past five years, thousands of fans were not packed into Jurassic Park outside the ACC to watch the game on the giant video screen. Instead, a freak ice storm sweeping across Southern Ontario forced it to shut down.

The game-opening video blaring inside ACC featured a litany of American pundits discounting the Raptors despite them earning a franchise-best 59 wins and earning the top seed in the Eastern Conference, while the slogan “Belief Over Doubt” flashed.

The Wizards had memorably swept the Raptors out of the playoffs in the first round back in 2015, then the No. 5 seed to Toronto’s No. 4. This time the Wizards came in as the No. 8.

The Raptors jumped out to a fast start, getting big production from Jonas Valanciunas and rookie O.G. Anunoby in his playoff debut – a youngster also tasked with defending Beal.

Washington big man Marcin Gortat – known as one of the NBA’s most agitating screeners – was lured into two fouls within the first three minutes of play and taken out of the game. Minutes later, the same happened to Ian Mahinmi, forcing the Wiz to adapt their rotation.

The Raptors were without vital reserve Fred Van Vleet on Saturday. The undrafted backup point guard, who has evolved into the leader of Toronto’s top-rated bench, was still recovering from a shoulder bruise suffered in the regular season finale. To cover his minutes, the Raps inserted Norman Powell into the unit.

Toronto built a 28-23 by the end of the quarter, but Washington quickly pulled ahead in the second.

Gortat, back in the game, was getting loose for a few before picking up another foul and leaving once again. Wall and Beal had combined for 21 points by half time, while Lowry and DeRozan had hit just two field goals between them, on only eight shots – pairing for just seven points. The Wizards held a 59-55 half-time lead.

Lowry and DeRozan spearheaded a 15-6 run when the game resumed, that jump started a 12-point quarter for DeRozan and put the Raptors back on top. Beal was hot for the Wizards as well. This time, when the reserves came back in, Powell stayed seated while DeRozan and Lowry shared Van Vleet’s minutes.

Toronto held just a slim 86-85 lead going into the final quarter.

Just inside the fourth, Washington’s Mike Scott threw a vicious shoulder into Lowry as he drove to the hoop, and earned a flagrant foul.

Open this photo in gallery:

Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry (7) shoots for a basket past Washington Wizards forward Mike Scott (30) in game one of the first round of the 2018 NBA Playoffs at Air Canada Centre.Dan Hamilton/Reuters

“That sequence [after the flagrant] was big for us to get the lead back and get a little momentum, a little push,” said Lowry. “They’re not a normal eight seed. They’ve got two all-stars, guys who can really play, Markieff was really good today, Gortat too.”

The Raps inserted Lucas Nogueira into the bench unit for a different dimension in the paint, adding valuable rim protection and great passing. Then hot shooting from Wright and C.J Miles propelled Toronto forward.

The Raps made 16 three-pointers to Washington’s eight. Miles had four, while Ibaka and Wright hit three apiece.

“They’re a No.1 seed for a reason, they have a lot of great players and guys off the bench came in and stepped up,” said Wizards coach Scott Brooks. “They had eight more threes than us. They’ve been doing it all year…Serge Ibaka is one of the best, if not the best, big man shooter in the league.”

Game 2 will be Tuesday night in Toronto.

Follow related authors and topics

Authors and topics you follow will be added to your personal news feed in Following.

Interact with The Globe