Game Rap: Raptors 84, Wizards 82

A return to the Verizon Center on November 28, should have boosted the Wizards against the Toronto Raptors but a buzzer-beating three pointer dealt Washington a 84-82 loss.

Bledsoe then coolly sank the free throws after being fouled by Kyle Lowry to ice away a 107-102 win over the Toronto Raptors on Sunday night to snap Phoenix’s four-game losing streak. On the Raptors side, power forward Luis Scola became an X-ray factor against a very tough opponent and a difference maker with a total of 15 points. Gortat put up 16 points and 10 rebounds on Saturday for his second double-double in the last three games.ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (13-4): Cleveland guard J.R. Smith scored in double figures in seven straight games before struggling to 3-of-12 from the field on Saturday, but he still provided a contribution with four blocks and three steals. But he missed both and the Raptors corralled the rebound with three seconds left in the game. Currently, Washington is placed at the bottom positions of the standings along with the Bucks, the Nets, and the 76ers. Those cracks were blown open by the Washington Wizards, as John Wall and Bradley Beal provided the flood that ended Toronto’s season with an embarrassing first round sweep. But Wall missed a pair next, setting up the final sequence. Even with John Wall shooting 0 of 6 in his first eight minutes of play, Washington was up 23-16 after one quarter.

“We got to cut the negativity that we have coming from players, coaches, staff, media”. “He set the tone for us defensively”, Raptors coach Dwane Casey said Wednesday when addressing Biyombo. C Nene sat with a strained calf after playing only two minutes on Friday, and G Gary Neal sat out with a strained groin. It’s so much negativity. We’ve got to meet that aggression with ours. They played four games in five nights and found a distinct way to lose all four. We didn’t make any spectacular trades or signings in the offseason. He praised the team’s effort, but understood that the team had to perform better in crunch-time. “If we’re made out of anything at all, the guys who were around should have that in the back of their mind”. We signed three players that they deliver good stuff to the table for us but at the end of the day they’re not All-Stars. “So expectations are high and we are not up there”.

Rashad has been covering the National Basketball Association and the Washington Wizards since 2008-his first two years were spent at Hoops Addict before moving to Truth About It. Rashad has appeared on ESPN and college radio, SportsTalk on NewsChannel 8 in Washington D.C., and his articles have appeared on ESPN TrueHoop, USAToday.com, Complex Magazine, and the DCist.