Red-Hot DeRozan Leads Raptors to 113-103 Victory Over Wizards

Washington Wizards centre Marcin Gortat called Wednesday’s contest with the Toronto Raptors a “must-win” game, but the Wiz weren’t able to close the deal as the Raps escaped D.C. with a 113-103 victory in their fourth game of the season.

Toronto overcame a sluggish start, as a litany of mistakes on the defensive end allowed Washington's backcourt duo of John Wall and Bradley Beal to torch the Dinos in the first quarter. But as the game went on, the Raptors’ bench allowed them to get back into it as the Wizards’ second unit failed to keep up. At the end of the third, Toronto led 84-75.

The fourth quarter belonged to the red-hot DeMar DeRozan. DeRozan, who finished with a game-high 40 points, has now recorded four straight games with at least 30 points. The 27-year-old is the first Raptor to accomplish the feat since Mike James did so in 2006. DeRozan was unstoppable once again, and the Wizards simply didn’t have any answer for the shooting guard.

Kyle Lowry, who temporarily went to the locker room in the first frame after taking an elbow to the face from Gortat, finished with 18 points on 7-for-13 shooting. The good Terrence Ross was on display tonight, as the University of Washington product poured in 15 points on a very efficient 6-for-8 night.

Shout out to rookie power forward Pascal Siakam for setting a milestone, by the way.

Three-point shooting oddly eluded Toronto in its first three games, but it wasn’t a problem at the Verizon Center. The Raptors went 10-for-25 from beyond the arc, with Lowry paving the way with three treys on six attempts.

Toronto improved to 3-1 in light of the win, while the Wizards are still searching for answers after falling to 0-3. The Raps are back in action on Friday when they host Hassan Whiteside and the Miami Heat.

What did you guys think of the game? Have your say in the comment section.