Raptors, DeRozan remain on a roll
WASHINGTON -- DeMar DeRozan continued his season-opening scoring surge with 40 points and the Toronto Raptors continued their regular-season dominance over the Washington Wizards with a 113-103 win on Wednesday night.
The Olympian had 28 points in the second half and eight of the final 11 for the Raptors (3-1). DeRozan also scored 40 in the season opener and has at least 30 points in all four games.
Kyle Lowry scored 18 points and Terrance Ross had 15 in Toronto's first road game.
John Wall had 33 points and 11 assists for the Wizards (0-3), but mistakes -- and DeRozan -- ruined their home opener. Toronto converted 21 turnovers by Washington into 30 points.
Trailing 56-54 at halftime, Toronto outscored Washington 30-19 in the quarter with DeRozan scoring 15 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field.
Wall's fast-break approach flipped the momentum as his steal and reverse layup tied the score 92-92 midway through the fourth quarter. That surge was met with an 8-2 spurt that put the Raptors ahead for good.
Toronto has won eight straight regular-season games over Washington, but the Wizards swept the Raptors 4-0 in the first round of the 2015 playoffs.
DeRozan, who signed a five-year, $139 million contract this summer, entered averaging 36.0 points while shooting 52.7 percent from the field. He made 14 of 23 against Washington and 11 of 16 free throws.
The Wizards started 0-3 for the first time since the 2013-14 season. That edition finished 44-38.
Otto Porter had 23 points and 13 rebounds for Washington. Bradley Beal and Marcin Gortat each scored 15 for the Wizards, who shot 58.3 percent from the field. Toronto hit 55.8 percent of its attempts.
Wall scored 16 points during a first half in which Washington led 27-15, then trailed by eight in the second quarter thanks to its second unit's struggles before rallying for a 56-54 halftime lead. The Wizards shot 64.7 percent from the field but committed 12 turnovers before the crowd of 19,581.
NOTES: The Wizards were one of four teams to open the season with two road games. Eight of their next 11 games are at home. The Wizards host the Hawks on Friday. Washington lost its season opener 114-99 at Atlanta on Oct. 27. ... Raptors G DeMar DeRozan played in his 525th game, tying Jose Calderon for second most in franchise history and moving 17 games behind Morris Peterson (542). ... Washington's last regular-season win over Toronto entering Wednesday came Feb. 27, 2014. The Raptors went 10-1 in the previous three seasons. ... Toronto returns home to face Miami on Friday. The Raptors play five of their first six games at Air Canada Centre.