Bogdanovic, Wizards down Raptors
TORONTO -- Bojan Bogdanovic scored 27 off the bench, and the Washington Wizards defeated the Toronto Raptors 105-96 Wednesday night.
The loss ended a four-game winning streak by the Raptors (36-25) and was the second victory in a row for the Wizards (36-23).
The Raptors led by two points after the first quarter, but the Wizards used a surge early in the second quarter and were control for the rest of the way. They led by as many as 24 points late in the first half.
Bradley Beal added 23 points for the Wizards. Markieff Morris contributed 13 points for Washington, with John Wall and Marcin Gortat scoring 12 points each. Wall had 13 assists after equaling his career best with 19 assists Tuesday in a win over the Golden State Warriors.
DeMar DeRozan led the Raptors with 24 points. Serge Ibaka had 22 points and 12 rebounds, Norman Powell had 17 points, and Cory Joseph added 11 points. Jonas Valanciunas contributed seven points and 11 rebounds.
The Raptors trailed by as many as eight points before taking a 26-24 lead after one quarter.
The Wizards opened the second quarter on a 26-1 run to take a 50-27 lead. The Raptors' first field goal of the quarter was a 21-foot jumper by DeRozan with 6:05 to play in the half.
The Wizards took a 62-46 lead into the intermission. Bogdanovic, who was playing his fourth game with the Wizards after being acquired in a trade with the Brooklyn Nets, scored 16 first-half points for Washington, and DeRozan scored 16 in the first half for Toronto. The Wizards shot 60 percent in the first half and Toronto was 36.7 percent from the field.
The Wizards opened the second half on a 7-0 run to go ahead by 23 points. The Raptors trimmed the lead to 18 with two minutes to play in the third quarter before Bogdanovic hit a 3-pointer with 1:24 to play left in the quarter and Wall hit a 21-foot jumper to bump the margin back to 23. The Wizards got the lead to 24 before finishing the third quarter ahead 82-60.
Powell's driving layup in the fourth quarter cut Washington's lead to 14 points with 5:13 to play. Beal's 3-pointer had the lead at 19 with 3:43 to go.
NOTES: Raptors G Kyle Lowry had surgery to remove loose bodies from his right wrist performed in New York on Tuesday. He has not played since Feb. 15 and is not expected to return before the end of the regular season. ... Wizards G Brandon Jennings sat out Wednesday after being signed for the rest of the season. He was put on waivers by the New York Knicks on Monday. Jennings will provide backup at point guard. ... Wizards G Trey Burke (personal) did not play Wednesday. ... The Raptors and Wizards will have a return match Friday in Washington. ... Toronto won the first meeting between the teams 113-103 on Nov. 2 at Washington when Raptors G DeMar DeRozan scored 40 points.