Post Game Report Card: Raptors Dominate the Wizards 103-84

Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

In a battle of 4-1 teams, the Toronto Raptors were clearly the better squad tonight in a 103-84 triumph over the Washington Wizards. The Raptors are now 5-1 for the first time in team history. The Raptors biggest lead stood at 28 points. This was the Raptors first complete victory of the season after five ugly games to start the campaign. If the Raptors can consistently play like this, at there best on both ends of the floor for the majority of the game, they will be one of the top teams in the league.

Offence: A-

There were definitely some lulls on this end, but they were sparing and in no way negated the stretches where the Raptors were lights out shooting the ball. They shot 41% from three and made it to the free throw line 31 times. For the most part they moved the ball well and looked in sync. When the Wizards cut into the lead, players like Kyle Lowry stepped up and made sure  the game was never truly close. The closest the Wizards got was 15, and that was late in the fourth quarter. Terrence Ross and Lou Williams provided a huge spark in the first half and were able to take the scoring burden off of DeMar DeRozan and Lowry. The two players put up a combined 12-26 from the field, 5-9 from three and 31 points in total. Ross in particular was impressive; he looked confident in his shot and was willing to foray into the paint. If five games were enough to question his role in the starting lineup, than one game should be enough to stop that garbage.

Defense: A+

Finally. After shoddy defense through the teams first five games, the Raptors were locked in from the word go. The Wizards shot 36.1% from the field and 15.8% from three. John Wall in particular was shut down, registering eight points on 3-13 shooting. Granted, some of his shots were just off regardless of the defense, but give credit where credit is due, the team from the north played their first great game on the defensive end. The rotations were on point, they swarmed to the ball and they held the opposition to under 85 points. A great effort all around.

Rebounding: B-

They were out rebounded by one overall and by six on the offensive glass. This is really the only area the Raptors lost tonight. Even so, Lowry had 11 rebounds, Jonas Valanciunas had nine in 28 minutes, and Amir Johnson had seven in 21 minutes before leaving the game as a precaution for his sore ankles.

Game Ball: Kyle Lowry

Ross and Williams received consideration, but Lowry ensured that this team didn’t lose their grip on their stranglehold on Washington. Lowry had a triple-double and had a great command of the game. He knew when he had to distribute the ball and he knew when he needed to be assertive and score. He greatly outplayed Wall and was the Raptors best overall player on the night.