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2018 Playoffs: Game 2 Recap - Raptors 130, Wizards 119

IT WAS OVER WHEN

Delon Wright stole the ball, DeMar DeRozan got the ball into Kyle Lowry's hands, and Lowry tossed up an alley-oop to Wright for a dunk that put Toronto up 18 with 3:38 remaining. The Raptors closed out a 130-119 victory and now hold a 2-0 series lead.

First quarter dominance: The Raptors wasted no time setting the tone in Game 2, jumping out to a 10-point lead with 9:23 remaining in the first quarter. Toronto continued to roll, shooting 59 percent while setting a new franchise record for most points scored in a quarter of a postseason game when they led Washington 44-27 after the opening 12 minutes. The Raptors shot 7-for-13 from beyond the arc in the quarter, with six players recording a made three-pointer.

Holding pace: Things were more even in the second quarter, as the Raptors narrowly won the quarter 32-31, despite Washington shooting 65 percent in the frame. C.J. Miles came off the bench to lead Toronto offensively, scoring 11 points in just seven minutes, hitting 4-of-5 field goals, including a trio of three-pointers. The Raptors shot the ball so well from beyond the arc in the first half — connecting on 11-of-22 attempts — that they led Washington by 18 points, despite the Wizards shooting 51 percent from the floor.

Wizards punch back: Coming out from the halftime break with an 18-point deficit, the Wizards pushed back hard in the third. Washington won the third quarter 32-24, shooting 55 percent, to Toronto's 45 percent in the quarter. After being limited by foul trouble in the first half, John Wall came alive in the third, playing the entire quarter, and scoring 14 points to go with four assists, as the Wizards trimmed that 18-point halftime lead to 10 entering the fourth.

Bend, don't break: Washington opened the fourth much like it did the third, with Wall scoring, and setting up his teammates. After a Ty Lawson shot assisted by Wall, and then a pair of Wall free throws, the Wizards were within five points with 7:52 on the clock. Rather than panic, the Raptors responded. First, C.J. Miles drilled a three-pointer, then Delon Wright blocked a Wall layup attempt, leading to a DeRozan bucket. Another Washington miss led to free throws for DeRozan, Toronto continued pushing, and suddenly had reeled off a 17-4 run, leading 121-107 with 4:31 remaining. Washington would not get any closer the rest of the way through.

 

RAPTORS PLAYER OF THE GAME

DeMar DeRozan had a superb effort in Game 2, tying a playoff career-high with 37 points in 37 minutes. He shot 14-for-23 from the floor, 3-for-6 from beyond the arc, and 6-for-8 from the free throw line. DeRozan's line was well-rounded; He added five rebounds and four assists in addition to his game-high points total. When DeRozan was on the floor, the Raptors were a +23.

 

UNDERRATED RAPTORS PLAYER OF THE GAME

C.J. Miles was huge for the Raptors off the bench on Tuesday. Miles played 22 minutes against the Wizards, leading all reserves with 18 points on 5-for-7 shooting, including 4-for-6 from beyond the arc. With the team in need of a basket in the fourth and Washington within five, the three-pointer Miles hit didn't only provide the Raptors breathing room, it was the kind of bucket that completely flipped momentum back into Toronto's favour.

 

THAT'S A RAP...

"Vintage. He was great. When we needed buckets, he was able to score and carry the load."- Delon Wright on DeMar DeRozan's 37-point night

 

BY THE #'S

13... Points, a play-off career-high 12 assists, seven rebounds and three steals for Kyle Lowry.

48... Rebounds for Toronto, 34 for Washington.

16... Second-chance points for the Raptors, compared to just five for the Wizards.

19... Points and 14 rebounds for Jonas Valanciunas, who shot 8-for-11 from the floor in 23 minutes. Valanciunas also tied Antonio Davis for most double-doubles in the postseason in franchise history with 12.

 

THEY SAID IT...

"At the time you're just so much in the moment. I just had to find some space, but looking back at it, thinking about it, it was a big shot. They were making a run. We needed to score."- C.J. Miles on the three-pointer he made in the fourth

"We did it as a team. We were great defending, helping each other as well as with screens. I think this is a team sport, when you play together, when you support each other, help each other, it's fun. It gives you that extra confidence to enjoy the game."- Jonas Valanciunas

"DeMar is an unbelievable player, all-NBA, MVP-type calibre player. 14-for-23 [from the floor] is efficient, 3-for-6 from three. But also five rebounds, four assists and some good defence. He's just grown as a player. Every year I've been with him he's just continued to get better."- Kyle Lowry on DeMar DeRozan's all-around game

"We understood they were going to come back and fight back. We had to withstand that. Once they got back in close, we understood we had to buckle down, get some stops, and with them stops get out and get easy buckets. That's what we did."- DeMar DeRozan on the fourth quarter

 

UP NEXT:

The series shifts to Washington for Games 3 and 4. Game 3 will be played on Friday at 8PM ET.