Toronto snaps 4-game losing skid with win over Washington

On the back of a strong 21 point and 11 rebound night from Jakob Poeltl, the Toronto Raptors were able to snap their 4-game losing streak. It was against the sub 20-win ailing Washington WIzards to be fair, but a win is a win. Although Washington had less talent, they gave Toronto a run for their money throughout this game, behind a 23 point night from Jordan Poole. In the pre-game piece it was mentioned that Poole’s scoring could be a potential catalyst for a Wizards win, and that was almost the case last night.

To say last night was a slug-fest would be an understatement. Both teams finished the game shooting 40 percent from the field, and both teams finished the game shooting under 30 percent from behind the arc. Safe to say, points were hard to come by in last night’s matchup, which is why the steady hand of Poeltl was so important. Time after time he put up his patented push shot, more often than not it dropped in. Poeltl would be camped in the lane, no matter the distance his push shot was falling. 

Immanuel Quickley had 21 points of his own, albeit on 31 percent shooting but his forays into the paint left him rewarded with free throws frequently, which is where he got a nice chunk of his points from. Quickley’s true impact on the game came through his playmaking as he recorded 7 assists. All but one of these assists were to Poeltl, as Quickley consistently found Poeltl in the pick n’ roll throughout the game. Quickley would drive off the screen, draw two defenders, and then fire the rock back to Poeltl which allowed him to get up some unbothered push shots which empowered his scoring night.

AJ Johnson, whom Washington acquired at the trade deadline had a solid outing last night as he finished with 15 points. Johnson’s 15 points felt super impactful because they came at key moments and they were loud. His athleticism looks effortless and he was found soaring through the air for alley-oop finishes multiple times last night. He has shown some promise during his brief Washington stint and last night he kept that trend going.

Scottie Barnes could not get into a rhythm last night, as he finished with a near triple double, but only scored 13 points on 31 percent shooting. He did add in 10 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 steals, and two blocks, but his scoring was largely ineffective. Jamal Shead had another good game scoring wise, finishing with 14 points on 50 percent shooting. Shead looked extremely comfortable with the ball in his hands, and he put in multiple floaters off the bounce against a bevy of Washington’s defenders. A player of Shead’s stature using a floater as a weapon is very important as it will allow him to finish amongst the trees, which he did multiple times last night.

With all this said, this game was close headed into the fourth quarter, up for grabs for whomever wanted it more. With two teams that seem to be actively tanking, neither may have wanted it too badly but I digress. There were some fireworks early in the fourth as Washington closed the gap after some highlight plays on fast breaks. But this effort was ultimately not enough as a 12-4 Raptors run in the final period all but put the game out of reach for this young Wizards squad. Washington had a period toward the end of the fourth where they went 4 minutes without scoring a field goal. Even Toronto benching the starters could not help Washington climb back into this game after that.

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