Kelly Oubre Jr.

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Photos: Best #NBAKicks of the 2017-18 Season

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Photos: Kelly Oubre Jr. 2017-18 Season in Review

Kelly Oubre Jr. 2017-18 Season in Highlights

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Kelly Oubre Jr. Exit Interview 2018

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The Raptors defended home court on Wednesday night, re-taking the series lead against the Wizards 3-2 with a 108-98 win. In a game that much closer than the score indicated, the Raptors used a 24-6 run in the fourth quarter to take Game 5.

DeMar DeRozan’s 32 points on 12-of-24 shooting led the Raptors to victory. Delon Wright had 11 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter and hit a big triple with 3:38 to go to put the Raptors up 97-93. Toronto made 11-of-25 (44.0%) of their 3-pointers, while the Wizards only made 5-of-26 (19.2%).

In 44 minutes of action, John Wall led the Wizards with 26 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists. Wall played the entire second half and made 10-of-21 field goals and 6-of-7 from the line. Bradley Beal added 20 points for the Wizards while Kelly Oubre Jr. finished with 14 off the bench and Marcin Gortat recorded a double-double.

Wall led the Wizards with 12 points in the first half, as the team trailed 48-47 despite only shooting 37.5%. Washington had 14 fast break points in the first 24 minutes, running on offense and pushing the pace as much as possible. Toronto was flat offensively in the first half, but DeRozan’s 20 points kept them ahead going into the locker room.

Washington had nine offensive rebounds in the first half, but only scored seven second chance points on 3-of-11 second chance field goal attempts. That would become a story for the entire game, as the Wizards finished with 14 offensive rebounds, but only had 10 points to show for it on 4-of-14 shooting opportunities. The team’s inability to score off extended possessions would end up costing them in the long run. Still, the Wizards out-rebounded the Raptors 50-35 in the game in what was a major positive in the game.

Both teams started scoring at will in a back-and-forth third quarter, with each team shooting over 50.0% and scoring 31 points. Wall and Beal had 10 and nine points respectively in the third, while the Raptors made 5-of-9 triples.

The Wizards opened up an 87-82 lead after an Oubre slam with 8:52 to go in the fourth, but the Raptors responded with an 8-0 run to retake the lead 90-87. From there, Toronto finished the game by forcing the Wizards into six of their 18 turnovers and holding them to 8-of-24 shooting overall in the quarter.

Down 3-2, the Wizards must win on Friday in D.C. to force a Game 7 on Sunday. Tip is still to be determined based on the results of other games around the league, but will be at either 6:00pm, 7:00pm, or 8:00pm.

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Wizards fall in Game 5, 108-98

John Wall and Bradley Beal combined for 114 points in the Wizards’ two wins over the weekend in Games 3 and 4.

The All-Star guards scored 28 a piece in Game 3, taking over the game with their playmaking. Beal was more aggressive offensively than he was in Games 1 and 2 and was able to find a rhythm. Wall, who has been the Wizards’ most consistent player and arguably the best player in the series overall, picked apart the Raptors in Game 3.

In Game 4, Beal had 31 points in 31-plus minutes, but fouled out with five minutes to play. Wall, who finished with 27 points and 14 assists in Game 4, then stepped up to lead the Wizards to a 14-4 run to close the game and even the series with Toronto.

Another constant in Games 3 and 4 was the energy from third-year forward Kelly Oubre Jr. Using his vibrant personality and athleticism, Oubre made big play after big play by doing the little things and letting the game come to him. He averaged 11 points per game over the weekend, but his efforts beyond the box score were pivotal to the team’s success.

“I have two of the best guards on my team so if I can get an extra possession for those guys something good will happen,” Oubre said after Game 4. “That's my job. I'm going to go out there and bring energy, and try to get stops, and get extra possessions for my team.”

The 22-year old was a force defensively, holding his matchups to 4-of-19 shooting and forcing eight turnovers in the weekend games. Oubre had five deflections in Game 3 and recovered four of Game 4’s 28 loose balls.

Oubre stays with DeRozan with the block and forces a 24-second violation.

Oubre’s length disrupted DeMar DeRozan and C.J. Miles, while his speed and switch-ability kept him on the court in key situations. Over the weekend, Oubre held DeRozan to 12 points and 2-of-10 shooting on 28 possessions, including two turnovers. Miles, who made big shot after big shot in Games 1 and 2 with 15 points per game, was shut down in Games 3 and 4 with only 12 total points.

Shortly after a dunk on one end in Game 4, Oubre draws a charge on Miles in an important defensive possession.

"Loading up. Getting back in transition,” Oubre said after Game 4 about his approach. “Stop ‘stabbing’ in the backcourt. Making sure we put bodies in front of DeMar [DeRozan]. Making sure Kyle [Lowry] doesn't go left into his jumpers, making sure CJ [Miles] is handled, and pretty much just keeping guys in front and following scouting report so it's very detailed and we did it a T tonight."

Oubre seals Game 4 with a steal on Lowry.

“I thought he was really solid defensively,” Scott Brooks said on Monday of Oubre’s play over the weekend. “With Kelly and a lot of our guys, we have to be solid. We can’t go for steals, we can’t gamble and try to get the home run so we can get a dunk at the other end. You just have to stay solid.”

Oubre doesn't give up on the play, stealing the ball back and finding the cutting Beal for the slam.

Brooks has long said that Oubre just needs to focus on the defensive end and the offense will come. He’s shown that in the series, with key buckets in transition, monstrous dunks, and getting to the free throw line. The 3-pointers may not be falling lately, but players are still respecting Oubre’s range, which has given him the ability to drive.

Oubre pumps fake the defender and drives for the dunk right before drawing the charge on Miles in Game 4.

When it comes down to it, Oubre is an energizer bunny. He’s always hyped and positive and takes responsibility when the team doesn’t play well. The Kansas product plays the game for the right reasons and loves getting the fans into it.

“It is my job to go out there and bring energy and get stops on the defensive end. My strengths are getting out in transition and running the floor, and the crowd likes that too so it gets the crowd involved and they feel your energy. I just want everybody to feel my energy when I am on the court.”

The Wizards will need that energy with the team heading on the road for Game 5. Even without home court in Toronto, Oubre can make his presence felt by utilizing his length and turning defense into offense. To get a 3-2 advantage in the series, the Wizards will need another energetic performance from Wave Papi.

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Oubre energizes Wizards to even series

The Wizards evened the series with the Raptors on Sunday night, coming back from down 14 points in the second half in 106-98 win. Bradley Beal and John Wall combined for 58 points to lead the Wizards in the Game 4 victory, while DeMar DeRozan scored 35 for Toronto.

Beal finished with 31 points in 31-plus minutes after being in foul trouble most of the game. The first time All-Star made 10-of-19 from the field, including 5-of-7 from deep and 6-of-7 from the free throw line. He fouled out with 4:58 left in the game, but the Wizards were able to lock the Raptors down the rest of the way and get the win. Washington ended the game on a 14-4 run en route to the win.

"I just gathered my emotions, gathered my thoughts and told my team we were going to win, regardless," Beal said. "I knew if we still had John [Wall] in the game I loved our chances. He did a great job of leading the guys and icing the game with a nice jumper in the corner and getting stops. So, that was definitely a maturity level that I hit, and a face of adversity that I had to overcome, just gather myself and be a leader, being vocal and keeping everyone encouraged in the game.”

Wall led the charge once Beal fouled out, scoring eight of his 27 points in the final five minutes of the game. He added 14 assists, six rebounds, and three steals in another key performance, willing the Wizards to victory with a 3-1 deficit looming with a loss. His defense on DeRozan down the stretch anchored the team defensively and was the on-court leader the team needed in a tight situation.

"When Brad went out, I knew I had to do whatever it took: guarding DeMar DeRozan, making plays, scoring the ball and passing the ball," Wall said postgame. "I just wanted to do whatever, so that we could advance to Game 5, tied 2-2.”

“You have to have resolve to win in this league,” Scott Brooks said about the comeback and the last five minutes of the game. “We’ve had some tough moments this year with John [Wall] missing half the season, but we found it and it put us in a position to make the playoffs through resolve.”

The Raptors got out to a 15-4 start and controlled the game in the first quarter, getting to the line at will. DeRozan attempted 12 free throws in the opening 12 minutes, but did not make a field goal. Players were hearing the whistle constantly, as the game slowed down with a lot of foul calls. In the first half, Kyle Lowry, Jonas Valanciunas, Mike Scott, Markieff Morris, and Beal all had two fouls early on.

Toronto led 51-40 at the half, holding the Wizards to 16-of-47 (34.0%) shooting and outscored Washington 17 to four in the fast break. The Raptors’ defense was dominating the game, but the Wizards had an answer in the second half.

Sparked by Otto Porter Jr.’s quick eight points in the beginning of the third quarter, leading a 13-2 run to bring the Wizards all the way back after trailing by as many as 14. The Wizards would match their first half total with 40 points in the third quarter, making 15-of-23 (65.2%) shots including 5-of-6 from beyond the arc. The game was knotted at 80-80 heading into the fourth quarter.

The Raptors started the fourth quarter on an 8-0 run, once again taking control of the game. The Wizards would respond, however, putting stops together and tying the game at 90-90. Beal would foul out soon after, but Wall and the Wizards played tough defense and made the right plays to get the win. Marcin Gortat, Kelly Oubre Jr., Morris, and Porter all made huge plays down the stretch to help Washington’s All-Star backcourt finish the game.

The series continues on Wednesday in Toronto for Game 5. Tip is set for 7:00pm as one team will take a 3-2 advantage.

“We were down 2-0 to the number one seed,” Oubre said postgame. “We're the eight seed. We could've imploded last game and let them go up 3-0 so that we would not have a chance but instead we made it back 0-0 so now it's a series of three. We're going back to Toronto and we got to take care of business.”