(Toronto) O.G. Anunoby had 29 points as the Toronto Raptors prevailed 114-104 over the Washington Wizards on Sunday.
Anunoby scored 18 points in the first quarter, where he was four for six on long shots.
The engagement ended 37-21 in favor of the Raptors, who gained 11-2 momentum in the curtain raiser.
Fred VanVleet added 28 points, including five 3-point shots.
Pascal Siakam, Scottie Barnes and Jakob Poeltl provided 19, 13 and 12 points, respectively.
Poeltl also grabbed six rebounds on defense and the same number on offense.
Among the reserves, Chris Boucher had six points and seven rebounds, while Christian Koloko had three steals and a block.
Will Barton suffered a left ankle injury in the first quarter, not returning to the game afterwards.
Toronto led 63-46 at the half but after 36 minutes their priority had faded to 87-84.
In the first minute of the last quarter, Jeff Dowtin signed a very important three-point shot. The success kicked off a 13-3 push for the local club.
With 5:47 on the clock, Boucher went there with a dunk on an offensive rebound and Anunoby quickly added a basket, increasing the Raptors lead to 108-90. The group remained in control thereafter.
“O.G. really got going and carried the offense,” Raptors coach Nick Nurse said. Jeff had a big shot and on defense Chris and Christian were very active defending the basket. »
Barnes returned to action after a two-game absence, as did Precious Achiuwa.
They were bored at the wrist and the back of the thigh, respectively.
Gary Trent missed a third game in a row with stiff right elbow.
The Toronto club led 13-6 in steals and 6-2 in blocks.
Kristaps Porzingis had 26 points for the Wizards, who were losing their fourth straight game on the road.
Their leading scorer Bradley Beal did not play, inconvenienced in the left knee.
Also missing were their third and fourth pointers Kyle Kuzma and Monte Morris — with ankle and groin issues, respectively.
The Raptors (37-38) will play again Tuesday night at home against the Miami Heat.
In Atlanta, Ja Morant had 27 points and the Grizzlies won their sixth straight game, 123-119 against the Hawks (37-38).
In Los Angeles, the Chicago Bulls improved to 36-38 as they edged the Lakers 118-108. Zach LaVine scored 32 points for the Bulls.
The Hawks are eighth in the East ahead of the Raptors, having won two of three against them. The Bulls are 10th, half a game behind Toronto.
LeBron James was back in action for the Lakers after a month-long hiatus with a right foot problem.
The league’s all-time leading scorer provided 19 points as a reserve.
The Lakers went 8-5 in his absence, putting themselves in a tight race for the 4-10 spots in the West.
D’Angelo Russell missed a second game in a row, bored in the right hip.
