• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Raptors rally to best Wizards

Apr 4, 2013 - 4:20 AM Toronto, ON (Sports Network) - DeMar DeRozan posted 25 points and Jonas Valanciunas scored a career-best 24, and the Toronto Raptors used a big second-half push to beat the Washington Wizards, 88-78, at Air Canada Centre.

Kyle Lowry tallied nine points, eight rebounds and 13 assists for the Raptors, who trailed by 15 just before halftime but managed to snap a two-game skid and win for just the second time in nine contests. They also got revenge for a 109-92 loss at Washington on Sunday.

John Wall had 20 points and Emeka Okafor ended with 17 and eight boards for the Wizards, who were officially eliminated from playoff contention. Nene scored 12 for Washington, which had a two-game winning streak broken as well.

"We had no pace to the game," Wizards head coach Randy Wittman said. "We had no movement, which was disappointing because we haven't been playing that way."

Toronto trailed 50-39 at halftime, but DeRozan scored 10 points during a big third quarter. The Raptors put forth a 29-12 scoring margin in the period and held the Wizards to 4-of-21 shooting for the frame.

The Raptors went ahead by a 57-56 count thanks to a 12-2 blitz, with Quincy Acy's jam with 3:58 remaining in the quarter finishing the push. Washington went back in front, but the Raptors scored the final nine points of the frame, which concluded with a pair of Valanciunas free throws in the closing seconds for a 68-62 lead.

DeRozan's jumper increased the lead to 84-74 with 3:07 to go, and the Wizards never caught up due to horrific shooting from nearly their entire team in that last quarter. Okafor went 3-of-6 in the period, but the remainder of the squad was 0-for-8 from the field.

The Raptors scored the game's first six points, but found themselves trailing 24-23 after 12 minutes.

Washington scored 14 in a row during one stretch of the second quarter to extend its lead to 48-33. Okafor's jumper with 1:31 left until halftime capped the rally.

"It's frustrating. We let teams jump out on us like that and we have to fight our way back," DeRozan said. "We know we can play like we did the second half for 48 minutes."

Game Notes

Valanciunas went 16-of-18 at the foul line ... Wizards star rookie Bradley Beal will miss the remainder of the season with a stress injury in his right fibula, the team announced Wednesday ... The Wizards, who have won eight consecutive home games, will host Indiana Saturday. The last time the Wizards had won eight consecutive home games was from December 13, 2006-January 20, 2007, when they won 10 straight ... The Wizards have lost four in a row on the road.