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Raptors beat road-weary Wizards

Mar 19, 2011 - 2:57 AM Toronto, ON (Sports Network) - Andrea Bargnani finished with a game-high 33 points as the Raptors held off a late Wizards surge to win, 116-107, at Air Canada Centre.

"It was a very important win," Bargnani said. "Today we shared the ball and it was helpful for me to get to the line."

DeMar DeRozan added 30 points while Jose Calderon scored 17 with six assists for Toronto, which had dropped five of six entering Friday. Reggie Evans grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds off the bench, and Leandro Barbosa scored 15 for the victors.

Trevor Booker paced the Wizards with a career-high 26 points and hauled in 13 rebounds before fouling out late in the game. Washington has dropped six straight and is a dismal 1-31 on the road.

Jordan Crawford added 25 points, JaVale McGee scored 11 with 12 boards and John Wall posted 21 points with seven assists in the loss. Maurice Evans contributed 15 points and six boards in a reserve role.

"I thought with all the rookies we had, they played well," Wizards head coach Flip Saunders said. "Booker and [Crawford] took the opportunity and they played hard."

The teams split the four-game season series, with each winning both home games.

Leading 88-77 entering the fourth, the Raptors opened the quarter with a Barbosa three-pointer to widen their lead to a game-high 14. The Toronto lead remained around 10 until a McGee driving slam with 5:25 remaining started a 9-0 Washington run that made the game close.

Evans capped the run with a slam, bringing the Wizards within 98-96. But the Raptors slowly pulled away by making shots from the foul line. Bargnani, Evans and Barbosa all sank 2-of-2 before a Calderon three made it 109-99 with 1:19 left.

DeRozan and Barbosa hit shots in the final minute to secure the win.

"We had a lot of easy shots," DeRozan said. "When we started making them things really started to open up. It was definitely a big win."

Paced by 12 points from Bargnani and 10 from DeRozan, the Raptors held a 33-27 lead after one quarter. Toronto shot 11-of-16 from the field and made 10-of-11 free throws.

Shortly into the second, Wall's driving dunk started a 14-0 run that gave Washington a 43-37 lead. However, the Raptors then ran off nine straight points to move back in front.

Toronto's lead reached 56-45 with just under three minutes remaining. After the Wizards cut their deficit to five, consecutive Raptors baskets gave them a 62-53 halftime advantage.

The Raptors played in front for the entirety of the third quarter, and a trey from Bargnani with 1:44 remaining set the Toronto lead at 85-73. It was also Bargnani's 500th career three-pointer.

Game Notes

Morris Peterson (801) and Vince Carter (554) are the only other players to make more than 500 three-pointers with the Raptors...Nick Young missed the game for Washington with a bruised left knee, and Andray Blatche was out with a strained right shoulder...Washington held a 46-37 rebounding advantage...The teams committed a combined 31 turnovers...Bargnani made 15-of-18 from the line.