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Holly MacKenzie – Raptors.com
It Was Over When: Paul Pierce drilled a three-pointer with 16 seconds remaining to put the Wizards up six. Pierce’s shot came after a long three from Kyle Lowry to make it a one-possession game with 40 seconds remaining. The victory gives Washington a 3-0 series lead.
Turning Point: After DeMar DeRozan got off to a sensational start — setting a franchise record for points in a quarter with 20 in the opening period — the Wizards put Otto Porter on him. Porter’s length gave DeRozan trouble and he was unable to get back into the groove he had to start the game. The second-year player has been huge for Washington in the series on both ends of the floor.
Raptors Player Of The Game: Amir Johnson had his second double-double of the series, finishing with 14 points and 12 rebounds in 33 minutes. Johnson was one of the only Raptors who didn’t struggle with his shot, making six of his seven field goal attempts.
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Game 3 Game Changer: With Bradley Beal held to 16 points on 4-for-12 shooting, Marcin Gortat overwhelmed the Raptors with 24 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and four blocked shots. John Wall continued to use his speed to his advantage, finishing with 19 points and 15 assists.
Lowry’s Struggles Continue: Kyle Lowry was able to stay on the floor Friday night, but his shooting woes continued. Lowry shot just 5-for-22 from the floor and 3-for-10 from beyond the arc, but hustled his way to four rebounds, seven assists and four steals. Hearing Lowry speak before and after the game made it obvious that he’s under the weather, but the point guard refused to make excuses for his play.
“I thought Kyle played his heart out,” Dwane Casey said. “Again, the shots he normally made throughout the year, he had those shots. He was 5-22 [from the floor], 3-10 from three, but again he made big plays. Loose balls, taking away rebounds. A lot of big-time winning basketball plays. Again his shot didn't fall. That’s basketball. He’s our leader. He set the tone for us early. The second quarter was our bugaboo. We couldn’t score in the second quarter, but he set the tone, played his heart out. Played like the old Kyle except his shot.”
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By The Numbers
13 – Second quarter points for the Raptors, while giving up 21 points to the Wizards. Toronto has gotten off to strong starts in each of the three games in this series, but it’s the second quarter that has gotten them each time.
19 – Free throws attempted by Toronto, compared to 31 for Washington. The Raptors made 15 of their 19 free throws. The Wizards shot 22-for-31.
17 – Washington turnovers leading to 18 Raptors points scored off of their miscues. Toronto did a better job taking care of the ball, turning it over just nine times in the game.
13 – Blocks for the Wizards. Gortat led the way with four blocked shots while Bradley Beal and Drew Gooden added three apiece. The Raptors had just two blocks as a team.
18 – Points on nine shots for Paul Pierce. Pierce made four three-pointers, including three in the fourth quarter.
They Said It
“We’re struggling. We’re not hitting shots and it’s costing us the series. You can’t go too far…we have to hit shots and we haven’t. They have.” - Greivis Vasquez on being down 0-3
"We’ve still got to play. We’ll watch the film and we’ll see the things we did well and the things we did and not worry about what happened. We’ve just got to try to get better and continue to grow as a team.” - Lowry on shifting the focus to Game 3
“It’s not over yet. We’re on life support but it’s not over yet. I told them there’s no give up in this team. We haven’t given up all year. We’re going to continue to compete until they tell us we can’t compete anymore.” - Casey on moving forward
Up Next: Toronto will get one last shot at extending the series at 6:30 P.M. ET on Sunday night at the Verizon Center. Looking to avoid the sweep, the Raptors will win or go home for good.