WASHINGTON (AP) — Norman Powell scored 28 points, Pascal Siakam added 26 and the Toronto Raptors made 19 3-pointers in a 137-115 win over the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night.
Seven Raptors hit at least one 3-pointer, with Kyle Lowry leading the way with 5-for-8 shooting from long range. He finished with 21 points. Toronto shot 59% (19 for 32) from beyond the arc.
Powell and Siakam each hit three 3-pointers as Toronto won for the fifth time in six games and improved to 4-1 on their current trip. After starting the season with one win in seven games, Toronto is almost back at .500 at 12-13.
“They were 19 for 32 — that’s tough to do in an open gym,” said Wizards coach Scott Brooks, who once again watched on as his team struggle to defend.
“That was the night,” he said.
Chris Boucher had 17 points and Fred VanVleet scored 14, and seven Raptors reached double figures.
NBA leading scorer Bradley Beal, who averages 33.3 points was held to 24, as the Wizards lost to the Raptors for the eighth straight time, including four in a row at Washington.
Russell Westbrook, who sat out Washington’s win at Chicago on Monday, returned to score 23 points, including 19 in the second half. He added seven assists and six rebounds.
Westbrook made back-to-back 3-pointers to cut Toronto’s lead to 111-106 with 8:27 left. Toronto finished the game on a 26-9 run as Washington fell to 6-16, the NBA’s third-worst record.
“It’s frustrating because we are in the game,” Beal said. “We were right there in the game and then all of a sudden, we’re down 10, we’re down 15. We couldn’t guard the 3-point line and they were just lining them up.”
Rui Hachimura scored 15 points and had seven rebounds, and Robin Lopez had 13.
Toronto used a hot shooting start to jump out early before eventually taking a 74-61 advantage into halftime. The Raptors shot 59% in the first half and connected on 8 of 14 3s.
TIP-INS
Raptors: OG Anunoby missed his eighth straight game with a left calf strain. … F Yuta Watanabe, who played college basketball at nearby George Washington, was listed as out after turning his left ankle in a workout on Tuesday. … Toronto shot 68% in the first quarter and led 40-28.
Wizards: Westbrook picked up a technical late in the third quarter after arguing that he had been fouled on a made layup. … Ish Smith left the game in the first half after being hit in the mouth and never returned. Smith received stitches but they couldn’t control the bleeding. Brooks expects him back on Friday…Davis Bertans started his second consecutive game and scored nine points on 3-for-9 shooting on 3-pointers. Bertans came into the game shooting a career-low 33.1% on 3s.
CASE CLOSED
Raptors coach Nick Nurse spoke pregame on the lawsuit against team president Masai Ujiri being dropped.
“I’m certainly happy for him that it’s over,” Nurse said.
“It’s a long process that he had to go through but he did it properly and went through it without ever wavering. I’m sure he’s glad it’s over with, as we all are.”
A law enforcement officer in California had sued Ujiri over a scuffle following the Raptors victory over Golden State in the 2019 NBA Finals in Oakland.
SUPER BOWL SHOUTOUT
“We had to get out of Tampa Bay so they could win the Super Bowl,” Lowry said about the Toronto’s temporary home this season.
“Congratulations to the Buccaneers.”
HOT STREAK
Powell came into the game as the Raptors fourth-leading scorer averaging 15.8 but the sixth-year pro has scored at least 20 in nine of his last 10 games.
“He looks really confident,” said Nurse. “When he rises up, you’re really expecting it to go in. He’s certainly playing at a high, high level right now.”
UP NEXT
Raptors: Complete their trip at Boston on Thursday.
Wizards: Host the New York Knicks on Friday in the second game of a five-game homestand.
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